Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe
by Moomba
Summary: A new day has dawned for Balamb Garden crew with trouble lurking around the corner...
1. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

MS FF8 version parts 1-4

RESURRECTION - Rebirth of a Foe

By: Moomba

Carbuncle25@hotmail.com

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Chapter One - A New Day Has Dawned

After tossing and turning many times in his sleep, Squall Leonhart finally woke up to the chirping of birds from the near by Balamb forest and a gentle breeze floating into his room. He stared for a brief moment at his bedroom ceiling, allowing what thoughts he willed to come into his mind. So much had happened in his life, so many new experiences - he was still a teenager for goodness sake! The memory of Ultimecia's plot and her fate for mankind were still firmly etched into his mind. And the great irony of it all: he wore the greatest conflict on his face. One that couldn't possibly be erased, and one that could ever be forgotten. Scarred for life was what it was, and Squall had Seifer to thank for.

The so-called 'training session' that he and Seifer had had that day was the turning point of his life. Whenever Squall would look into a mirror, it wasn't his face he saw - it was Seifer's. He had been taunting Squall as usual - and the big question Squall wanted to know from himself was why didn't he walk away? What did he want to prove? Why did he have to rise to the challenge? But that was just it - there was no need to rise to the challenge. He didn't have to fight at all.

Dr. Kadowaki: "That Seifer…. Won't listen to anyone. Why don't you ignore him?"

Squall: "I can't just run away."

Dr. Kadowaki: "You wanna be cool, huh? Well don't get hurt in the process."

Maybe his life was controlled by destiny, after the many times he had convinced his mind that he had control of his own life.

The knock on the door startled Squall and jolted him back to reality. The voice from the other side was faint but then called out to him louder when he did not respond.

"Yoo-hoo! Squall? Are you up? Squall? Hey, are you OK in there?"

"Fine Selphie," Squall reluctantly answered, opening the door to his room.

"Have you been thinking again?" the spunky young girl demanded from him wagging an accusing finger. "Y'_know_ it's no good to be thinking all the time. C'mon, I've heard that there's a long queue for the hotdogs!" she said, pulling him by the hand along the corridor and out of the dormitories.

"S'up Squall!" Zell's loud voice called out to him. Instructor Quistis Trepe followed behind the martial arts expert and shook her head with a small smile. She and Zell had been up early for a short training session and had just left the training arena. Zell ran up to the other Balamb Garden SeeDs - both of whom were very close friends of his, whilst Quistis took her time and walked.

"Where've you been?" Selphie asked when Zell caught up with them.

"In the training arena with Instructor Trepe," Zell replied. "Where are you two heading off to?"

"Me and Squall are going to the cafeteria for breakfast. Hotdogs are back on the menu," Selphie replied.

"What?! Man, nobody told me about that. Hey, you did that on purpose. You deliberately didn't tell me so that you would get them all for yourself!" Zell said, stamping his foot childishly. "I'll beat you to the line! Haha! Last one there is a sorry Chocobo!" Speeding in the direction of the cafeteria, Zell left Squall standing next to a flustered Selphie.

"Zell, you come back here, now! That is _not_ fair!" Selphie shouted, running after him. "I'll save you one Squall..." her voice dying away as she rounded the corner.

"Aren't you going to run after them?" Quistis' voice said Squall when finally caught up with him at the entrance of the dormitories.

"No," was Squall's short reply.

"Squall, have you something on your mind?" Quistis asked as the two of them walked together at a slower pace to the cafeteria, passing other Balamb Garden students as they went.

Yeah, I have loads of things in my mind. So much, I don't know where to start or how to sort them out. I think about Seifer all the time. That grin of his and the brash and egotistical manner he'd carry wherever he went. Then I think about Rinoa. How she brought a new meaning to the word 'life' and how, from the moment we first met at the graduation ball here at Balamb, she turned my world full of discipline and rules upside down. Her carefree spirit, her voice calling my name...

"Squall?" Quistis' voice broke into his thoughts.

"What?" he said, bringing a hand to his forehead. Selphie was right: too much thinking _was_ no good for him. _But what else can I do? How can I stop these thoughts from interfering with my mind? Seifer and Rinoa, their faces. It's driving me insane!!_

"I take it you want to be alone right now, Squall," Quistis said quietly. "Remember, we're all here for you. If you have something on your mind, tell us, OK?"

This is stupid, Squall thought watching his instructor go. _I'm reminiscing about the past, and at the same time driving away my closest friends in the present. I'm just so totally messed up._ Sitting on one of the benches inside the Garden, Squall sat in his brooding position - the only way he ever sat: his head bent low and his arms resting on his legs.

The familiar chimes of the Garden's intercom filled the entire place. SeeDs and Balamb students alike stood still to hear the announcement. Standing again, Squall listened attentively and recognised the familiar voice of Xu speaking:

"Will the following SeeDs make their way to Headmaster Cid's office immediately: Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, Quistis Trepe and Selphie Tilmitt. I repeat, will those students please make their way to the Headmaster's office immediately."

"Sounds urgent," Squall muttered, making his way to the school's Directory and up the flight of stairs that led to the lift. He met Quistis there and saw her raise a questioning eyebrow to which he gave a shrug and stepped into the lift.

Zell and Selphie arrived a few minutes later in the middle of a heated argument. The headmaster ushered them in line with the others and waved away their apologies, catching parts of their quarrelling. A dispute about hotdogs?? They saluted to the founder of their Garden: Cid Kramer and stood to attention.

"I'm afraid Xu has delivered the message to you my SeeDs in a rather urgent tone. I think I must have got over a little excited when I received the message from an employer who wanted to hire you. It's just that you've had so very little action since, er, the previous occasion that I began to wonder. Anyhow, I was quite surprised this morning when I was greeted with an Esthar official. Apparently the President wishes you to participate in an upcoming parade that is being held in Esthar. He wants you to keep the peace throughout event, and make sure no uncalled for outbreaks occur." Headmaster Cid said briefing them on their mission.

"I'm sorry, Sir. But I would have thought Esthar guards would handle a situation such as this." Squall spoke, not fully understanding what was being asked of them in this mission. In the missions he had been in, his role as a SeeD involved liberating of towns or cities, hijacking train carriages along with resistance groups and leading the fight against sorceresses. Now they were being hired to make sure no fighting broke out during the parade at Esthar? Squall had a feeling that there was more than what the Esthar official had told the headmaster.

"Well, the President's official did mention something about looking forward to seeing you SeeDs in particular, again. I believe you know him? Esthar's President after the Sorceress Adel? President Laguna Loire?"

"Oh, Laguna!" they all said in unison. The eventful ordeal with Ultimecia had been so long ago, how could they forget Laguna? the mysterious figure whom they had been in the 'dream world'. Ellone had that unique power to transcend space and time. A power that Ultimecia wanted to harness in order to live in the present in a time compressed state. It was Ellone who reached out to Squall to ask for his help. And Squall had been waiting so long for his beloved Sis to come back...

"It's those friggin' GF's fault!" Zell stormed in his usual way. "The more we use them, the more we forget about those memories that meant so much to us!"

"Zell, calm down," Squall instructed. Maybe it was the GF's fault. They were after all apart of them. They occupied spaces in their memories... Taking over the ones that were deeply treasured. It was the reason why all four of them were only able to remember snippets of their childhood. Why they weren't able to remember the memories spent as kids in the Orphanage where they all grew up together, and the one who had taken care of them all, Matron... Of course there was one person who remembered those childhood memories all too well.

"RAGE!" the shrill shriek of Fujin's voice rang into their ears, as Irvine stumbled into the office with a sheepish smile and with his shotgun in his hand. Squall thought he saw faint signs of smoke snaking out of the barrel, and shook his head. What had he done now?

"PAY BACK!" Fujin demanded, holding up her weapon up: a large suriken, for all to see and to see the damage Irvine had inflicted upon it.

"Sorry Fujin, Raijin said I could use it for target practice." Irvine said with a sly smile.

"WHAT?!" Fujin thundered, whipping round to confront her comrade who stood behind her.

"H-He's lying Fujin, ya know! I swear, I never-" Raijin stammered, scared to confront her ugly side once more.

"STUPID!" she said kicking him behind the legs. With what looked liked an apologetic gesture towards the headmaster; Fujin kicked Raijin once more before running back to the lift. Hastily Irvine closed the door to the office, muttered an apology and saluted.

"If you want targets for target practising, Irvine, I suggest you use the flying monsters in the training area, and _not_ flying surikens, hmm?" Headmaster Cid suggested.

"Uh, yes Sir," Irvine said, tilting his hat with a hand.

"Good. Squall, you're leading this mission. Carry out the President's orders accordingly. Have fun at the parade, and take care of each other. You may be dismissed." Cid concluded, returning behind his desk.

With the consent from the people at Lunar Gate and Headmaster Cid, the five SeeDs were able to keep the long lost airship: the Ragnorak - having been rediscovered by Squall and Rinoa whilst floating aimlessly in space. The fine beast provided the best form of transportation there was to offer capable of moving at a good speed and allowing them access to anywhere in the world.

"Right! Esthar it is!" Selphie exclaimed, jumping into the pilot's seat. "Where will our point of landing be, Squall?"

"Make it the Airstation. The Presidential Palace is not too far from there. The Airlifts take only three passengers at a time, so we'll have to take it turns. Zell and Quistis you come with me. Selphie, Irvine you follow short. Everybody agreed?"

"Yes!"

"Make sure to junction your GF's before we land. Is anyone in need of remodelling his or her weapon? We can make a detour at the junkstore in the mall." Squall asked his group.

"I could have _my_ weapon remodelled to the Exeter, if _someone_ would give me two screws!" Irvine said pointedly targeting his words at Zell, who grinned back at him.

"Hey, I told you: gimme hundred gil for each of them, and they're yours. Otherwise these screws stay with me."

"Zell, you-" Irvine began, readying his shotgun.

"Irvine, stop!" Quistis ordered, pointing the gun away from Zell. "Put the gun away and cool it!"

"I'll get those screws off you," Irvine vowed, tilting his cowboy hat up.

"Yeah? Just try and get past these fists o' mine," Zell said holding up his glove-clad hands. "Y'know, that Combat King you gave me the other day, proved to very handy. Wanna be a volunteer so I can try out a new move?"

"Move you're hands any higher and they'll be perfect shooting targets!" Irvine snapped, reaching out for his gun once again.

Restraining Irvine and giving him a good talking to, Quistis then took Squall to one side and asked him about their weapons being upgraded.

"Squall? Is it really necessary to upgrade our weapons any further? Surely we're not to expect an attack in the city after all that had happened?" she said to him.

I dunno. It was just a suggestion. Look what happened when we helped an innocent resistance group. We ended up fighting a sorceress from the future! "We should be ready for anything. A year may have past since we encountered Ultimecia, but we can't make any guarantees that a repetition similar to that will happen again." Squall said firmly.

"In which case, those of us who are able to remodel can go to the junkstore, later perhaps." Quistis said, and then reached out to steady herself when the Ragnorak suddenly dropped in altitude.

Everybody's attention was directed to where Selphie sat. "Sor-ry!" she sang out getting the Ragnorak back into her control. "I pulled down on the throttle to fast. I told the person at the receiving end that we're landing, so hold on!"

Disembarking the Ragnorak, Squall and his party were welcomed into Esthar by a familiar looking face dressed in Presidential Official's clothing and half a dozen Estharian soldiers.

"We are the SeeDs that President Laguna requested our services for," Squall announced, to the official who seemed to be studying them all intently.

"Isn't that...?" Quistis whispered to Squall.

"Kiros!" Zell burst out and shook the official's hand over-enthusiastically. "Remember us? I was you in the 'dream world' remember? Or was it Ward? Anyway that doesn't matter! Good to see ya again!"

"Step away from the Presidential Official," the captain of the guards commanded, at the outburst greeting Zell had given - his weapon at the ready.

"It's OK," Kiros reassured. "These SeeDs are very good friends with the President."

"Yeah, chill out man, no need to get touchy," Zell said patting the captain in the back and sauntering after the others into a Presidential car. "We know the President, ya know, uh I mean: you know!"

Laguna Loire, had once been a Galbadian soldier along with his comrades: Kiros Seagul and Ward Zaback, as well as an actor and a writer. His great ambition in life was really to become a journalist. And if he wanted to be honest to himself, Laguna preferred his pen to his machine gun any day. His pen was indeed mightier than his sword, or so the saying went. Laguna welcomed his guests openly with the usual open and colloquial language he had always used. His face had begun to show signs of age. His long hair tied back and his distinct earring. But that didn't matter. Deep down inside, he was still the same good ol' Laguna. However, all but Squall greeted him in a less friendly manner. Instead he remained subdued, and waited until all hi's and hello's were over with.

"Squall," Laguna said, saluting. "Great to see you again,"

"President," Squall replied, ever the one to do things by the book.

"Hey, there's no need for that! C'mon, call me Laguna!" the president of Esthar said. "Geez, you make me sound so old."

"You are getting on a bit, though aren't you," Zell commented with a grin.

"Now none of that," Laguna said, laughing. "I'm not _that_ old,"

"So, President," Squall began.

"Laguna," he corrected.

"... Whatever... You're task for us. Am I to understand that our instructions are to prevent any outbreaks occurring during the course of the parade festivities?"

"Yeah. Didn't Cid brief you about the mission before you came?" Laguna asked slightly bemused.

A simple mission. Why do I still have this feeling that there's more to it than any of us really know? Squall wondered to himself.

"Preparations are still being made for the parade," Laguna said, strolling over to a large window that over-looked the entire city. "Decided that a parade would help lift the mood. After all, it's been what, almost a year now? I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the events that occurred. How they affected our lives and the rest of the world."

How could any of us forget? Squall thought looking away. He had to stop feeling sorry for himself before he totally lost it and went completely insane. _Yeah, remember you've still got a job to do. So-called 'fearless leader'. Right…_

"Why don't you go down to the city and look around for a while?" Laguna suggested to them. "Me, Kiros and Ward will come out and find you guys later." 

"Good idea, man," Zell agreed heading for the exit.

"Not so fast kung-fu boy, you've got something to give me." Irvine said following closely.

"Squall, y'gonna come with us? We're gonna go down to the mall and check things out." Selphie said, ready to leave with Quistis.

"You and Instructor Trepe go ahead. I'm gonna go speak with the President." Squall said, noting the look of worry Quistis had in her eyes. _I'm here in the palace. _Squall thought to himself._ What could go wrong?_

"You want to speak to me, Squall?" Laguna asked when he noticed it was only he that remained behind.

"Yes. I wanted to ask a few questions," Squall replied.

"Go ahead, shoot," said Laguna flopping down onto his seat behind the desk. Kiros and Ward had exited, realising that Squall wanted a one-on-one talk, minus third-wheel parties.

"Ellone," Squall began. "Is she-"

"She's fine," Laguna interrupted. "You can go and see her if you want. She's helping out in the parade. I hear you and her were close." he commented.

Were _once close_, Squall muttered to himself. "Yeah..." he replied a distant look in his eyes. A year hadn't changed him. He was still Squall - the lone wolf. The one who kept himself to himself unless there was something that interested him. But he _had_ changed - even if it was for a brief while in his teenage life. Those that were close to him saw a new side to Squall Leonhart. A new Squall that had blindly left the safe confines of the getaway pod from the Lunar Gate space station, to save the one person he could honestly say he cared for. A new Squall that had rescued Rinoa from the Sorceresses Memorial, and a new Squall that had fought for love, courage and friendship.

"Hey Squall, what about that girl. What's her name? Er... Rin- Rin something," Laguna asked, racking his brains for the name.

"Rinoa," Squall supplied for him, wincing as he said the name of the person that caused the most pain to him, more than any sword wound could.

"Yeah, that's it. What happened to her?"

"She, she went away for while," Squall said and swallowed hard. "Said she had to sort herself out. The ordeal with Ultimecia - it kinda affected her."

"Mmm," Laguna said nodding. "And has she..."

"No not yet," Squall said his voice barely audible.

"Oh..." Laguna said, his voice falling flat but then brightened again. "Buck up! I had the same problem as you. Back when I was a Galbadia soldier, I fancied this person. I used to always drag Kiros and Ward with me to watch her perform at the Deling hotel in Galbadia. Then, when I finally had my chance, I blew everything."

Major bummer, Squall thought.

"Her name was Julia y'know," Laguna went on. "She was a great pianist and everything,"

Is she dead or something? Squall wondered. "What happened afterwards?"

"I went to war," Laguna said simply. "She said she would wait 'till I returned. I had a major crush on her. Didn't know she felt the same way."

Let me guess, you never returned. Right?

"I never returned," Laguna said, answering his thoughts. "I let her slip away..."

"Do you know where she is now?"

Laguna shrugged. "No idea. Last I heard, she got married to a general and had a daughter." he said.

"So, what about the other woman? Raine?" Squall asked.

"Don't be thinking that I didn't love her!" Laguna started as though Squall had implied so. "Understand that I loved both of them. Julia was probably my first... and last. But Raine, yeah I cared for her too. I stumbled into Winhill during my time as a soldier. I was wounded, and Raine took care of me. To show her my thanks, I patrolled the town every day. Killing monsters - protecting the people. It was the least I could do. Raine had a niece. A cute kid she was. All three of us were like a family, living in Winhill. Then we got married, but shortly after I left the town, Raine passed away..." Laguna's voice trailed away, and Squall shut his eyes tight. To lose a person like that...

Before Squall could finish his thought, the alarm signal began blaring and the light at the back of the room flashed red. Whipping round, Squall ran to the window and saw panic in the city. Soon, Kiros and Ward burst into the room. Gone were their officials clothing, and the more familiar clothes that Squall had seen them wear in the dream world. Both had their weapons with them and grim expressions on their faces.

"Laguna we have a problem," Kiros informed.

"You don't say!" Laguna replied. "What the hell's goin' on?!"

"Monsters," Kiros reported. "Somehow they broke into the city. Word is they came through the internal system - the car rental."

"How many out there?"

"Hard to say, man. But it looks like they're all headed for the mall," Kiros replied.

"This is bad," Laguna muttered, yanking one of the drawers on his desk and taking out his machine gun. "This is very, very bad. This is great y'know. There's peace for a year in the city, and then monsters come trampling along, wrecking the place. It's déjà vu all over again - resurrection of the Lunar Cry. C'mon, we've gotta get down there and sort the problem out!" Seconding that, Squall took out his gunblade - upgraded to Lion Heart and ran with the other's out into the city and in the direction of the city's mall.

Chapter Two - Old Acquaintances

****

"... The hell these monsters come from?!" Zell demanded punching a monster to the ground. He and Irvine had stood in front of the junk-store bickering over the two screws, and the girls purchasing Items in the Item shop, when a whole herd of monsters can charging in at full speed. Luckily not many people were at the mall - the majority of them were helping out for the parade in another part of the city. But still, an attack in the city was most unexpected!

"Fight first! Ask questions later, Zell," Quistis instructed, casting scan on the large Ruby Red dragon before her, and then gaped at the huge monster. It's level was well over fifty - only monsters like that could only be found at the Islands closest to Heaven and Hell... Hastily casting protect on herself, Quistis prepared herself for its attack. The pupils of her blue eyes dilated to pinpricks as she could only watch her vital hit-points be beaten out of her. Collapsing onto the floor, Quistis tried her best to stay in the game, until it was her time to attack again. _Where have all these monsters come from?_ She wondered desperately, wincing at the pain. A lot of help the Protect magic did!

The sound of gunfire and the clash of metal against flesh soon caught Quistis' fallen state. She slowly lifted her head up to see Laguna and his friends attacking a seriously mean T-Rexuar, and Squall who was fighting the Ruby Red.

"Squall..." she said faintly, a weak smile playing on her lips.

"Instructor? You OK?" Squall asked as he attacked the dragon and then cast Holy on it.

"I'll be fine..." she said half to herself and half to Squall. Slowly standing up, Quistis closed her eyes and summoned what inner strength she had left. The Ruby Red had to be defeated!

Squall had fought Ruby Red dragons before, when he set out to acquire the hidden GF Bahamut. But this dragon before him now was relentless! He knew very well that Ruby Reds were weak against Holy magic and Ice, and just now he saw a thousand hit-points be taken off the monster. It refused to be beaten! There was nothing more Squall could do until his turn. He and Laguna and his friends had hurried as quick as they could to the mall once the alarm had been triggered, and Squall had seen the blow that his Instructor had taken from the Ruby Red. He watched Quistis as she slowly stood up. A yellow-red aura began to surround her, and Squall knew what that meant.

Once somebody's hit-point level came to a critical stage, that person was able to unleash a great amount of power: a Limit Break. Whilst Squall's Limit Break consisted of the Renzokuken and at times another additional attack, Quistis' Breaks, however, had more variety in them. Her Limit Break was Blue Magic, and from there she could choose which magic she wanted to use. Over the course of the SeeDs encounter with the notorious Sorceress Ultimecia, Quistis had developed her Blue Magic Limit Break to a total of sixteen selections. Her favourite being: Degenerator. This Blue Magic attack caused death to one enemy, and although it did not work against all foes and monsters, she did however know that the Degenerator attack worked sufficiently well against Ruby Red dragons.

Squall knew this too because it was Instructor Trepe and his friend Zell, that accompanied him to the Research Missile Base when attempting to get the GF Bahamut. It was Quistis that helped them defeat the Ruby Reds that they encountered in between, before the showdown with the secret Guardian Force. _Ruby Red dragon, you are history! _Quistis said to herself, as Degenerator was cast upon the huge red beast. Her out-stretched palms opened up a black hole from which the monster was sucked into, disappearing into thin air. Game over for the dragon, victory to Quistis.

Once game play was over, Quistis slumped down onto the floor again. She may have defeated one mean monster, but she was still weak and in need of recovering. Zell, Selphie and Irvine rushed over to where Squall and Quistis were, once their battles were finished.

"Yo, Instructor... you OK?" Zell asked, genuine concern in voice. Although people saw Zell as a loud, boisterous and hyperactive person, he did have a side to him that people found hard to believe and did not know it existed. It was the situations and battles that they all had shared together that brought them closer than ever. It was called true friendship.

"I'll be OK, Zell," the Instructor assured, trying to stand again.

"No, Instructor. You're too weak," Selphie said, setting her back down on the floor. "Wait a sec," concentrating, the young girl - who originally came from Trabia Garden - focused her mind and cast Curaga onto Quistis. Gradually, Instructor Trepe's hit-points and health were replenished, and she gave a grateful smile to Selphie.

"Thank you," she said taking Irvine's hand to help her up.

Laguna, Kiros and Ward came and joined them when they were done fighting the T-Rexuar. Laguna had a frown on his face, which soon dissolved into nothingness once he put his machine-gun away.

"Phew! Hadn't battled in ages!" he said to them all.

"Is there something we ought to know?" Squall demanded. "For what reason did those monsters break into the city for?"

"Does it look like I know?" Laguna asked back, rather too forcefully. "Do you think I had something to do with it?"

The man had a point. "No," Squall replied quietly.

"Me, Kiros and Ward are gonna go check what happened, and what went wrong." 

Laguna said to them all. "I'm sorry Squall if you think that I ordered you here under false pretences. I heard that you guys had been out of action for a while, and thought that this job would get you up and about again. I wanted to secure you SeeDs for this event in case someone _did _beat me to it. Besides, the parade doesn't begin until tomorrow afternoon. You're free to leave Esthar whenever, I wanted the preliminaries out of the way you see."

"Don't you want us to stick around? Help you find out what let those monsters loose into the city?" Zell asked. "We're under your instructions y'know."

"I'm instructing you guys to get some time out. This was meant to be a field trip for all of you. No action and all play. I dunno where the hell those monsters came from, but me, Kiros and Ward'll find out. I don't want the parade to be a reminder of last year." Laguna said.

"You suggested so, OK?" Selphie said.

"So long as your back in time for the festivities." Laguna said with a grin. "Go on. Scram."

"Ooh, y'know what would be great?" Selphie said, as they all boarded back into the Ragnorak. "We could visit Matron again, couldn't we? Despite Ultimecia's plan to turn Edea against us SeeDs, she's still out Matron who had taken care of us when we were still kids at the Orphanage."

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Zell agreed. "What do ya say Squall?"

"Whatever..." he said, lapsing into thinking mode again.

"Hey, Squall. Try adding some enthusiasm, huh?" Irvine cajoled. "We're all together again, c'mon!"

"Yeah, Squall," Selphie joined in.

"Fine. Set a course for the Orphanage," Squall absently instructed and then left the bridge to do some thinking.

"Selphie, Irvine? You'll be OK up here right?" Quistis asked when Squall left. As an instructor, she had every right to be concerned and to worry about her students, even if they were SeeDs!

"Sure!" Selphie assured, jumping into the pilot seat once more.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. I'll be here with her," Irvine said nudging his hat up, revealing a smile.

There's a double meaning in that... Quistis thought and then motioned to Zell to some with her. "I know you and Squall are the best of friends," she began, as the elevator slowly descended. "I know that for a fact,"

"I dunno..." Zell said, scratching the back of his head with a frown. "Squall's kinda hard to read, if y'know what I mean. The first positive sign he ever showed of caring was when he helped me out, back when we were trapped in the D-district prison, remember? Two G-soldiers came and attacked me, and then Squall jumped in and saved the day. You then said something about Squall caring so much about his friends, and I was like hugging him for waay too long-"

"Zell, I remember," Quistis said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"After Rinoa left, Squall shut-up like a clam again. Back to I-never-smile-at-all Squall," Zell concluded. "He may come to me for a guy-to-guy talk, but what good am I if he doesn't want to open his mouth, and only say 'whatever' if he can't say anything else!"

"I'm only asking you to try, Zell," Quistis said gently. "I'm sure you'll do better finding out what's on his mind than I will."

"Fine. But I can't promise anything," Zell said reluctantly.

Squall had escaped to the lower deck of the flying craft, and into one of the small rooms where he and Rinoa had fought the different coloured alien propagators. Geez, the whole Ragnorak reminded him of Rinoa. The very person he wanted to rid his mind of. Her memory was too painful for him that it hurt. Badly. Sighing, Squall sank to the floor and brooded miserably in silence. Perhaps they should visit Timber and see how she was doing. _That's dumb. If she hasn't returned after a whole year, what makes you think she ever will? Will a little side trip ease the pain of not seeing her face for so long? No. Exactly._

His mind began to wander back to the past. The Orphanage where he grew up with all his friends, and Sis... Ellone. Things were so different now. All of them were grown-up. How could Squall ever come running to his beloved Sis when he was feeling down and out? Things had changed. He had changed. From Squall the Garden cadet and lone wolf, to SeeD, to caring and compassionate Squall, back to the quiet and often too depressing mercenary. _Rinoa... Why did you have to go? Why haven't you returned? I need you... _It was stupid really. Even after he had blindly cast himself into outer space and rescued the girl he cared for, he still refused to show his feelings. "Thank-you for rescuing me, again Squall", was what she had said. "Whatever... I did what I wanted to do", was what his reply was - typical unchanging Squall.

What was the tune to that song again? Squall remembered hearing it on a side-trip to Shumi Village in the frozen wastelands near Trabia Garden. He also recalled hearing the tune elsewhere, on a piano... Yes! When he was Laguna in the dream world. Squall remembered now. When Laguna and his friends were serving as Galbadian soldiers. He used to... "I used to always drag Kiros and Ward with me to watch her perform at the Deling hotel in Galbadia. Then, when I finally had my chance, I blew everything."

The piano composition was memorable. Julia... had thought up lyrics to match the melody. She had titled the song: Eyes on Me... Whenever sang my songs, on the stage on my own. Whenever sad my words, wishing they would be heard. I saw you smiling at me, was it real or just my fantasy? You'd always be there in the corner, of this tiny little bar... It all made perfect sense. Julia's love for Laguna-

"Squall?" the unusual uncertainty in Zell's voice was enough to startle Squall out of his 'quiet thinking'. Squall did not bother to raise his head, but saw from the corner of his eye, the mean whip that hung from Quistis' waist. _Instructor Trepe looking out for me, as always. It's not like I can't handle all these emotion I'm feeling... What? Who am I kidding?_

Unlike Zell, Quistis dared not venture any further than the room's entrance. She couldn't help but care for her students. Being an instructor, it was her nature to worry. Instead she remained where she was and kept quiet, allowing Zell to do what he could.

"Squall?" Zell ventured further.

"Yeah?" came a reply that lacked invitation.

"What's up?"

"Nothing much," Squall said. Why couldn't he be left alone to think? _Maybe because I'll drown myself in all my sorrows_.

"I'll bet you'll be glad to see Matron again,"

Sure, thrilled to bits.

"Y'know, we should have taken Ellone with us. When we were kids you always kept her to yourself. Like your life depended on it."

My life did_ depend on her. Nobody came close to caring for me since I became an orphan. Then when she left, and never returned..._ It was happening again. The moment he became close to someone he cared for, they were taken away from him. Just like Rinoa.

"How are you coping without Rinoa?" the question drew an intake of breath from the doorway. Quistis stared at Zell with her blue eyes. Zell turned and shrugged at her. It was a reasonable question wasn't it? No good playing around in circles, it was better if things were cut to the chase.

Hmm, let me think about that, Squall thought sarcastically to himself. _Well... seeing that I can't stop thinking about her, since I'm practically surrounded with memories of Rinoa, I guess I'll live. For a while._

"Squall, you're being stupid!" Quistis stormed impatiently. She could see from where she was standing that Squall was never going to open up. Zell turned to his instructor again with a questioning look. _I thought I was going to handle this? _His face seemed to say. "You're being totally irrational. We're your _friends_ for goodness sake. Ifrit only knows how many times I told you that. How can we help you if you won't tell us what's troubling you."

"I don't need your help," Squall said, trying his best not to lash out. He stood and made for the doorway but stopped when he saw his instructor blocking the only way out a determined look on her face.

"Do you think tearing your soul apart with memories of Rinoa is going to help?" she demanded. Her voice, sounding equably as sharp as the crack of her own weapon. "Well?" To that, Squall gave no reply. He had none. Instructor Trepe was right; he was opting for the easy way out - at times, not the best option to take. "Zell," the commanding tone still in her voice. "Return to the bridge and inform Selphie that we are changing course."

This information caught Squall's attention; he whipped his head up and stared at his superior. Quistis returned the stare with her ice blue eyes. She trained her eyes on his, her gaze never faltering as she said the words he did not want to hear. "Tell her to set co-ordinates for Timber. We're going to pay a little visit."

Zell glanced from Squall to Quistis, wondering whom he should take orders from. He jumped to his feet when Quistis sharply told him to get a move on.

"I'm going, I'm going. Sheesh!" Squall heard Zell say as he edged himself out of the room and back up to the bridge.

Shrugging, Squall sat back down onto the cool metal floor of the Ragnorak. So what if they were going to Timber? It wasn't going bring Rinoa back to him. She would have returned long ago if she had wanted to. But she hadn't, which meant what exactly?

"Don't deny that you're hurting inside Squall. Rinoa is leading you to ruin." the subtle tone of her voice returning. "If your closest friends can't help you, and you can't, then who will?"

Ellone? Squall suggested. Even with her unique ability, what could she do? Remove her power and she's just ordinary, human Ellone. _Am I destined to be forever haunted by Rinoa and her memories? - What am I saying?! Rinoa's still alive. Get a GRIP Squall!!_

"Remember Squall, whatever you decide to do it's your decision. Just, just don't do anything that you'll regret later, OK?" With a little sigh, the child prodigy - having qualified to be a SeeD instructor at the age of eighteen, she was nineteen now - left Squall on his own to return back to the bridge. Once she was gone, solitude crept into the room to keep Squall company. He could feel the Ragnorak changing direction and began to seriously contemplate whether seeing Rinoa again was a good idea. And most importantly, what was he going to say when they got there?


	2. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

Resurrection - part three

Chapter Three - Lost Love

****

The magnificent beast - the Ragnorak - was landed just outside the town of Timber, on the open fields. Zell and Selphie eagerly went on ahead; leaving Irvine, Quistis and the morbid looking Squall who took slow deliberate steps, to follow. They were all blindly entering a town they had not visited in a while. Did any of them even have a clue to where Rinoa was residing? She could have easily returned to her father in Deling city.

Buildings in the town were all too familiar. The junkstore there, the Timber Hotel. The Timber train station, petshop and the old woman who sold souvenirs: train models, owls tears, dirty magazines... no doubt Zone and Ward paid regular visits to the old woman because the train models and dirty magazines were always out of stock whenever Squall and the others came. The Timber Maniacs were still in business. Squall had read a couple of the magazines when he accompanied Zell to visit his foster-mother in Balamb.

Squall, Irvine and Quistis stood before the building now, their attention diverted when the entrance door was flung open and Zell and Selphie were busy reading through copies. Zell's smile that never seemed to falter unless angered broadened to a grin. He dug into his pockets and triumphantly held up a card. From where Squall stood, he could just make out what appeared to be an Ultima Weapon Triple Triad card. As Squall recalled, Zell had lost that particular card to one of the Timber Maniacs workers. Now Zell stood brandishing the card for all to see, an extremely pleased grin across the face.

"Behold, the Ultima Weapon card! Bow down to me 'cos I am the king of Triple Triad, and everyone knows it!" Zell said in a loud voice.

Shaking his head, Squall tried his best not to smile but failed. Zell could always make someone smile at his brashness, no matter how down a person could be. Seeing the hint of a smile on his face, Quistis silently thanked Zell for being who he was. The house next door to the Timber Maniacs building opened at the sound of Zell's loud ranting. A woman holding a child stuck her head out of door, a frown planted on her face. The frown soon went when she recognised the young SeeDs, and the distinct clothing they all wore. A sound from within the house caused the woman and the child to duck back inside the house, and then reappear again. This time, a look of concern on her face, one that was directed in particularly Squall.

A look like that can't be good thing, right? He wondered and stopped short when the next face that appeared at the doorway was none other than the girl of his heart. Despite her long absence, Rinoa had not changed and Squall did not want her to. The carefree young woman - leader of what used to be a resistance group: the Forest Owls - stared carefully at each face from the elite force: SeeD. Recognition grew as she studied each face, her eyes lingering that much longer on Squall's blue eyes. Squall returned the stare for what it was worth. A sense of pleading lurked behind his eyes, eyes that held back so many feelings that it was impossible to say them all in one go. What pulled at his heart even more was that she no longer wore his ring. The one that had Griever: the ultimate GF, on it. Did that mean...

"Guys!!!" the daughter to General Caraway exclaimed, bounding towards Quistis first and giving the older girl a hug that said so much. "Oh my gosh, it's great to see you again!" Maybe Squall was over reacting, but he was sure he saw her hastily divert her gaze away from his. Did she have something to hide?

"Hey Rinoa, do ya have any hotdogs in your house? It's just that I'm starved," Zell said with an apologetic smile.

"You bought _four _hotdogs Zell!" Selphie said. "Because of you I couldn't get one for Squall."

At the mention of his name, Rinoa slowly lifted her gaze to his. _He must be wondering why I didn't return, _she thought to herself. _And I do have my reasons... _Forgetting her troubles for now, Rinoa took a cautious step forward towards him. Would he allow her to give him a hug? Seeing the hesitant look on her face, Squall ventured a step forward also. Leaving their hearts to do the soul searching, Rinoa ran into Squall's open arms, holding him close to her. She had missed him so much, but she had a bigger responsibility now. She could not disregard it even if she tried, it would not be fair... Closing his eyes tight, Squall held onto this moment as long as he possibly could. How it felt to feel Rinoa close to him again. But something felt wrong. Withdrawing from her embrace, Squall searched her deep, dark coloured eyes. It felt like she was holding something back, something, someone was stopping her from being her complete self.

"Come into the house," Rinoa said, taking Squall by the hand and leading them into Forest Fox's lodgings. Her daughter and children had moved to Deling City to find a home for themselves. After they had left, Forest Fox gladly took Rinoa in. She had not even minded when an unsuspecting visitor appeared at her doorstep, asking for Rinoa. The stranger looked wounded and drenched in what smelt like seawater, his short blonde hair plastered against his scalp. He had an apparent scare across his forehead, and a large red cross-sword on the left arm of his grey trench coat. What caught her attention the most was the gun-blade the stranger had, and which she assumed he had used as a walking stick to aid him. The Forest Fox had only seen one other gun-blade, and that belonged to the young SeeD, Squall...

The five SeeDs sat themselves around the kitchen table, whilst Rinoa busily helped the Forest Fox prepared something for their guests. Squall carefully studied Rinoa's movements as the others chatted away and fired random questions at Rinoa, mostly to do with what she had been up to since they last met. Making sure not to glance his way, Rinoa happily answered the questions with her spirited way and laughed at Zell's antics. That was when the happiness ended.

The call of her name from the rooms upstairs stopped Rinoa short. She set the glass she held onto the kitchen table and bit her lower lip. How was she going to explain herself now? Heads turned and Rinoa found herself being confronted by five sets of different coloured eyes. Squall's eyes stood out the most, the blue of his irises containing a steel gleam in them. The calling of her name was repeated, and the older woman - Forest Fox - began to make her to the upstairs bedrooms. Rinoa laid a hand on the other woman's shoulder, restraining her from going no further than the foot of the stairs. Silence crept into the house, and settled itself amongst the people present. A soft padding sound could be heard from above - who ever it was up there was going to come down. The suspense was killing them all, Squall the most. Could it be that his worst fears had come alive? _It can't be him can it? He died didn't he?_

It was Zell who broke the tension in the room at the first glimpse of the metal-tipped boot. He knew only one person who ever wore boots like those...

"You!!!" Zell said angrily getting to his feet and knocking his chair over in the process. "What the _hell_ is he doing here?!" he demanded from Rinoa. "I thought you were dead?!" he said to the person on the stairs, who had not properly revealed himself yet.

A low laugh came from the stairs making Zell even angrier as if someone had cast 'Mad Rush' on him. Kicking his fallen chair out of the way, Zell determinedly strode over to the stairs, his fists at the ready.

Chapter Four - Making Ends Meet

****

For once in his life, Squall did not find a reason or need to hold back his anger or his hatred. To see Seifer before him, in the weak state that he was, made Squall despise him all the more. In front of him Zell had his fists up, ready for battle. Mentally he wished Zell would charge at the 'traitor' to them all, and end his miserable undeserving life. After what Seifer had done? He did not have the right to live. But something inside was holding him back. Restraining him from drawing out his gun-blade to create more bloodshed. Was it Instructor Trepe, who's hand held him by the arm to stop him from advancing any further? No, it was not a physical feeling Squall had, but a mental and perhaps an emotional feeling. Rinoa perhaps? Yes, and maybe even Ellone. Whatever it was, Squall quelled his anger enough to let Quistis remove her hand from his arm. But his body was still tense.

If he says one word to annoy me, one false move... I swear I'll end his life right here, right now. How the hell did he survive anyway? Resurrected from the dead? Squall wondered to himself.

Fortunately for some people, they were able to hold back better than others. Unfortunately in Zell's case, seeing Seifer just short-circuited his temper and Zell charged at the 'Sorceresses Knight' in quick speed.

"Bastard!! Dunno what the hell you're doin' still alive, but Ifrit help me if you're given a chance to explain!!" Zell stormed just inches away from knocking Seifer square in the jaw. Selphie had rushed forward to stop Zell from inflicting any pain. Although her nanchaku was lethal, so could Zell's punches be and she was happy that she was not in the receiving end of his blows.

"Zell, no!!" Selphie cried applying all of her strength to stop Zell from approaching any nearer to the stairs. "That's not the way to do things!"

"Yeah, well it's not like his way sorted anything out!!" Zell said roughly shrugging Selphie away from him, but grateful at what she had done. "Man, you never give up do you?!" he said to Seifer. "Can't take a hint the first time?! The number of times we had to fight you, geez! Are you soo blind that you can't see nobody wants you alive?! After what you did to the world, man if those fights with us didn't kill ya, I'd be happy to do it now!!" Zell started for the stairs again, and again Selphie came forward to restrain him.

All this time, Seifer just took in the scene before him. Squall's cold face, Zell's face seething with anger. Instructor Quistis whose expression appeared blank, Irvine the 'sharp-shooter' who scowled at him. And Selphie, little Selphie who stared at him with an expression mixed with anxiety and disappointment. These people, these very people before him now were his brothers and sisters long time ago and Matron his mother. But now they were all against him. Despised his guts and his very being - except for Rinoa perhaps. She cared enough to take him in and nurse him better. Seifer knew it was his own fault. He was the one who turned against _them_. Became a totally different person, serving under the control of Ultimecia - the sorceress from the future. Did he hate Squall? Maybe, or maybe it was more of envy than hatred. Yes, that was what it was, Seifer envied Squall. Envied his talents and envied him. It was said you couldn't change a person unless they wanted to change. Seifer had never wanted to change, nor had anyone tried to. If he stopped his childish name-calling, and stopped his brash and egotistical manner, then he wouldn't be Seifer anymore.

To distinguish a person from the rest, that person had to have their own unique personality - which was true for everybody in the room. Squall wouldn't be Squall if he began to show his true feelings for all of his friends - that would be... wrong! Zell, the energetic puppy who bounded at every opportunity, Selphie, so free-spirited that she looked out of place in a military academy. Irvine, Mr. Suave and play it cool with the ladies. And Quistis, the bossy person who commanded that people did as she said.

Seeing Zell again made him grin. His grin broadened when Zell made another attempt to grab hold of him. _Chicken-wuss, you crack me up,_ Seifer thought in his mind. But now wasn't the time for name-calling or jokes. He could see that everyone had questions written all over their faces, and Rinoa was powerless to help him with the explanations. Even she did not know the full story.

"Give him a chance to explain himself," Quistis said quietly which earned a sharp look from everyone else. She shrugged at them helplessly. What else could she say? Killing Seifer would not clear things it would make matters worst. From the stairs, Seifer sent a grateful smile to his ex-instructor but received a cool blue gaze in return.

"Could we go outside?" Seifer asked. Being in the small house made him claustrophobic, and he needed some air to breathe. Without waiting for a reply, Seifer left to go back upstairs and returned with his trademark trench coat with the red cross-sword on the left arm. Squall noticed that he had brought his gun-blade with him, and wondered briefly whether Seifer intended to use his weapon. Shrugging, Squall followed the others out of the home of the Forest Fox and towards the exit of the town. Even if Seifer did intend to use his weapon against him, he had more than just Squall to answer to. He had SeeDs to answer to also.

Seifer continued to walk ahead and stopped a little outside the town of Timber and stood at the shorefront in Mandy beach. His eyes swept across the length of the beach, surveying the distant islands and the sea lazily rolling in and out. He took a deep breath and faced the five SeeDs and Rinoa. They looked back at him expectantly and drew back in caution when Seifer drew out his gun-blade and dug the tip of the sword into the sand. Squall eyed him with suspicion. What was Seifer up to?

"I'm not gonna kill you," Seifer said sharply. _I'm not that stupid_. "Maybe it's better if you asked me questions and then I'll answer them-"

"What'cha doin' still alive?!" Zell demanded, not waiting for him to finish his sentence. It was a fair answer wasn't it? No point running around in circles.

I see Zell hasn't grown up since I last fought him, "OK... fair enough question. Uh, after the onslaught of Ultimecia, I was basically left for dead. I came to, only to find myself swept up on a beach - Mandy beach. I realised that Timber was near by... knew that Rinoa was there. I came to find her."

"And?" Zell prompted.

"She took care of me, what else?!" Seifer snapped his temper returning. "Sorry. She helped me to get better."

So that's why she hadn't returned, Squall thought. _Rinoa was busy nursing Seifer back to health. No wonder she wasn't keen in telling me why. _A frown soon appeared on his face. Was Rinoa and Seifer... They couldn't be! What was that hug back there in the town? Didn't that mean anything at all?

"You turned against, Seifer," Selphie said in a hurt voice.

It's not a surprise, Squall said to himself. _With his Mr. Big attitude, I was wondering when Seifer was going to stray from the straight path_.

"I know," Seifer said in a low voice.

"You betrayed us, man! Those name-calling, 'chicken-wuss' and all. You chucked us in the D-district prison. Tortured Squall, led the Galbadian against Balamb Garden. Captured Ellone, united Rinoa and Adel together! You're a sick bastard you know that. You shouldn't be a given a second chance! I wouldn't trust you with my life. You're on the wrong side, man. Totally on the wrong side." Zell said, ending with a shake of his head. Sure Seifer had teased him and roused his anger, but that was typical Seifer, wasn't it? Seifer had been who he was since Zell knew him from the Orphanage. If he hadn't change before, what was the probability of him ever changing?

Sighing with disgust, Zell turned and headed back for the Ragnorak. He wasn't going to stay to hear Seifer's bullshit. It wasn't worth it. The others seemed to agree with Zell, leaving the beach with betrayed and disappointed eyes. Only Rinoa remained behind and placed and comforting hand on Seifer's shoulder. She felt his pain and his anger, and sympathised with him.

"Where are we heading off to now, Squall?" Selphie asked, anxious about the look on his face.

I don't care, as long as we get far away from this place. Away from him, then I don't care.

"Maybe now's a good time to visit Matron again?" Irvine suggested, walking up the ramp to the Ragnorak.

"Guys?!" Rinoa's voice called to them. She ran towards the ship and stood breathless for a few minutes. "W-where are you heading off to?"

"The Orphanage!" Selphie enthused before Squall could stop her from saying.

"Could I come?" she asked meekly.

"Yes!" Selphie replied again, giving no chance for Squall to say anything.

"Could Seifer come?" Rinoa asked, a little too hopeful.

"No!" Squall said, leaving nothing to be argued about and disappearing into the ship. No way was Seifer going to come. Unless Seifer wanted a death-wish...

"Squall, please!" Rinoa's voice pleaded.

"Sorry Rinoa. Gotta agree with Squall on this one." Squall heard Zell say.

"I promise you he won't do you guys any harm. Besides, he's still too weak. Please," Rinoa continued. "If ever I wanted you do something for me, something important, it would be this. I'm not asking much, just that you grant me this one wish."

Not asking much! Squall silently thundered. _Rinoa, you're asking me the impossible. Even if I'm able to bottle up my feelings for Seifer, the other SeeDs, in particular Zell, would have no hesitation in making his feelings clear._

"Well, Squall?" Quistis asked expectantly. "Can Seifer come?"

Sighing inwardly, Squall clenched, and then unclenched his right fist. "Fine," he said reluctantly, his answer coming out in a shaky breath. "He can come. But-, but if he crosses my path, makes me mad Quistis, there's no guarantee that Seifer'll reach the Orphanage alive."

The lighthouse soon appeared above the horizon, it and the Orphanage being in the Centra continent. Selphie gave a smile, her hands gripping the steering of the Ragnorak tighter. Behind her, Zell was practising his moves - a scowl on his face told her that he was not pleased Seifer was on board. Irvine - his hat titled down, was silently contemplating on which girl he would next try his luck on. Instructor Quistis still wore that worried frown on her face - the source of her worry most probably being Squall and also Seifer. Selphie sensed the bad vibes on the ship, causing her to frown slightly herself, but then perked up as the Orphanage drew nearer.

Matron was sure to be pleased to see them all again. Though what she would say at the sight of Seifer was anyone's guess. Determined not let anything get her down, Selphie slowed the Ragnorak down and landed the beast just outside the Orphanage and flipped the button which would open the hanger. All of them piled out of the ship, with Squall taking the front and Rinoa and Seifer at the back. The Orphanage was now a shadow of it's former self, since any of them remembered. It was still intact with quite a few crumbling walls here and there and also creeping plants entwining themselves around the pillars.

Matron - Edea Kramer came out and greeted them with genuine happiness and warmth they knew her to have. Her hair was worn down as they remembered her to do, and she wore a long a long black dress that touched the ground. This was the Matron they knew before she turned sorceress. Edea greeted Seifer with the same warmth and kindness as she did with the rest, although she did steal a worrying glance to Squall in particular. Was this a really good idea? Squall, unlike Seifer was known not for his quick temper, but for his subdued and distant attitude. To herself, Edea wondered when Squall would crack and a fight between two of her 'children' would break.

Seifer dared not approach Squall or Zell, or any of the other's. Even though they were all back in their childhood 'playground' with Matron again, it did not however lower the hostile barriers they had towards him. Rinoa have him a sympathetic smile, and all Seifer could do was shrug. To beg for their forgiveness would be very un-Seifer like. To ask for their understanding was more appropriate. Whether any of the SeeDs would attempt or try to understand was debatable. Giving Matron an awkward smile, Seifer left the inside of deteriorating Orphanage and down the trail that led to the beach. There he could silently think to himself without the threat of Zell's fists pummelling his face in. Seifer could easily defeat Zell in combat. Whilst Zell had his martial arts skills and gloves, Seifer had his sword skills and gun-blade. There was no doubt to who would be the victor. Drawing out his gun-blde, Seifer drew meaningless shapes and objects until the sound of voices and footsteps caught his attention. Seifer raised his gun-blade almost in a reflex action, pointing in the direction of the intruders who interrupted his moment of solitude.

His awkward smile returned to his lips and his gun-blade put away. With an amused look, Seifer watched Rinoa trying her best to drag an unwilling Squall towards the beach. No doubt she was trying to persuade him to talk to Seifer. Seifer shook his head. What Rinoa was asking Squall to do was the impossible, the unthinkable.

"C'mon Squall," Rinoa said in a pleading voice. She took Squall by his gloved hand and dragged him in the direction of the beach.

"Rinoa, this is stupid!" Squall said, making sure she heard the disagreement in his voice. "I did you the greatest favour of letting _him_ come with us, and now you're asking me to talk to him?!"

"I just want you let your feelings be known to him," she said, her pleading eyes searching his.

Seifer already knows what my feelings are for him, Squall thought to himself. "He already knows how I feel," he said jerkily.

"Then try to understand him. Ultimecia? The sorceresses. Squall, Seifer wasn't entirely to blame for what happened. Like me I was controlled. Both of us were at the mercy of Ultimecia. She supplied Seifer with empty promises, the very promises that Seifer clung onto - his dreams."

How does she know all of this? Squall wondered. _Oh, yeah. I forgot she spent a whole year with him. Enough to pour out his heart to her. Of course he didn't suffer, he didn't cause any bloodshed. Rinoa, Seifer was to blame, why can't you see that?_

Encouraging Seifer and Squall with a smile, Rinoa left them alone to sort out their differences and the problems that had been plaguing them all. With fingers crossed, Rinoa returned back to the Orphanage with hope hanging in her heart.

"So," Seifer began, unsure of how to begin what was sure to be a very difficult conversation. "Squall, how've you been?"

Wouldn't you like to know how I've been feeling these past months. Troubled - by you, you traitor! Bastard! Squall couldn't help it; this was what was whirring in his mind right now. And if Seifer wasn't careful, he would soon be seeing the tip of his own gun-blade.

"Tell me-" he struggled to form and say the words. "Tell me about your dreams."

"My dreams?" Seifer questioned with a surprised look on his face_. Which dreams?_ He asked in his mind, a sly smile giving way on his lips. _My romantic dreams, or my dreams for the future?_

Seeing the smile on his face made Squall narrow his eyes. The old Seifer was back. Squall vaguely remembered Seifer mention something about dreams on their field exam in the town of Dollet. He had asked Squall whether he had ever dreamed before, and that had made Squall wonder. Were dreams just extended thoughts of the imagination? A vision of a person's hopes and dreams, or a person's deepest, most personal fantasies? To just one person, dreams could be all of those, or none of them at all. To Seifer, it was all of them. Deep beneath his brash and egotistic exterior lurked something unimaginable. More so, it was something that was sure to bring laughter to the faces of Raijin and Fujin - his comrades, his disciples. Until Seifer went over board, that was.

So you want to know about my dreams, eh, Squally? _Well, let me ask_ you _a question_: "Have you ever dreamed before?"

There it was the very question that Squall was asked before in their mission in Dollet. Did Squall ever dream? He knew he did a lot of thinking - it was a well-known fact to anybody that was close to him, but that hardly could be counted as dreaming. Squall wasn't sure if he was to be worried or not, because the realisation dawned on him that he did not think he had ever dreamed before. He just took each day as it came. Did he believe in fate? That was a good question too. Squall was beginning to suspect that Fate had reunited SeeDs and Seifer together again. One thing was for certain, Squall definitely did _not_, had not wanted to cross paths with Seifer any time soon. Not ever, if that was possible. Obviously it wasn't, and here he was now, standing in the desolate beach next to the one person he loathed the most, and he was asking him questions!

This is stupid, Squall thought. _This is going nowhere_.

"Squall, you didn't answer my question-" Seifer said, and Squall didn't have time to. The sound of Zell's voice broke their conversation short as he ran towards them, kicking sand as he went.

"We've got a major problem Squall!" Zell said, panting to regain his breath.

"What? What's happened?" Squall demanded, instantly jumping into the role of leader and commander.

"Esthar. Laguna. Missing." was all Zell could manage to say. Even Seifer was beginning to be impatient.

"Zell, what's wrong?! Who's missing?" Squall said, his cool exterior breaking.

"It's Ellone, Squall. Someone's taken her; we received a radio signal from the Ragnorak. It was an urgent message from Laguna to return to Esthar as soon as possible." Zell informed him as they hastily said their goodbyes to Matron and boarded the ship. Seifer ran with them in silence, to which Squall made no comment on. They would finish their conversation later. As for Seifer tagging along - he could come in handy in battle - not that Squall was ready to forgive him yet. Seifer still had a lot of explaining to do. Maybe Squall wasn't going to deprive him of a chance to explain himself after all. Though right now, that was the least of his worries. Right now, they all had to focus in getting back to Esthar and finding Ellone. It was definitely déjà vu all over again.

This is so wrong, Squall thought as he and the rest of his friends broke into a run and entered the Presidential Palace with worried and flush faces. As they entered, Squall could hear the voice of Laguna - Mr. Play-It-Cool - just about losing his coolness to anger and confusion.

"This is just great!" Squall could hear Laguna say, presumably to Kiros and Ward. "First we get a re-enaction of the Lunar Cry, and then Ellone goes missing - or kidnapped should I say? As long as Ellone exists, she'll never be safe. It's like a bad obsession. Guys!" Laguna's face slightly brightened with a look of hope.

"We received your radio signal. What happened?" Squall said as soon as everyone was assembled in the room.

"During the attack of the monsters at the mall, we later found out that that was merely a distraction, a diversion to get to Ellone. While all of us were busy fighting the monsters, someone took her away. Nobody noticed that she had gone until one of the people who were helping with the parade asked where she was. Damn! I should have known something like this would happen on the anniversary of Ultimecia's defeat." Laguna said, banging his fist on his desk. Why oh why oh why?

"Any idea where they could have taken her?" Quistis spoke up.

Laguna shook his head in sadness and frustration. "Nobody knows. The invasion of monsters at the mall had grabbed everyone's attention. Nobody saw Ellone being taken away."

"I know where they might have taken her," a voice from within the sombre silence said. Heads turned and several pairs of eyes fixed their gaze on Seifer who was silently listening to what was going on. He ignored the piercing glares he thought Squall and Zell sent him, and continued to have his say. "When I was still a Sorceress' Knight-" a soft snicker from Zell halted him in mid-sentence. _Watch it Dincht, I may be in control of my mind again, but that won't stop me from skinning you alive if you push your luck._ A dirty look in Zell's direction was enough to pull Zell in a short leash. Seifer allowed himself a smile when he saw Zell's face crease into a frown. "When I was still a Sorceress Knight," Seifer continued. "I remember that Odine had a particular interest in Ellone."

Laguna nodded, "Yes, he wanted to conduct tests on her. He seemed to be very enthusiastic about her 'powers'." he said.

"Odine might have her. Or..." Seifer's voice trailed away, earning an uneasy look on Laguna's face. Laguna did want to know what the other possibility that lay in the 'or' could be. He had a fair idea already.

"Or, it could be you-know-who,"

"Do you think this is linked Sorceress-wise?"

Seifer shrugged, "It's just a guess. You yourself said that it's almost the anniversary of Ultimecia's defeat, what a great way of reliving the nightmare she set free to the world?"

He has a point, Squall reluctantly admitted. But why, whoever they were, would they want Ellone? Ugh! He had a sudden thought. Had Ultimecia returned from the grave to avenge her defeat? Was she attempting to harness Ellone's powers in a last ditched attempt to live in a time-compressed world? If it was, then the world was in serious danger than ever before. But how could it be? They had destroyed Ultimecia, destroyed her and all of her cronies that came before her. How was it possible? It just didn't make sense.

So absorbed in his own thinking that Squall didn't realise that his name was being repeated over and over again.

"Squall? Hey, Squall? Squall, snap out of it!" it was Laguna. "As it was me that hired you to assist in the safety of the parade, I am asking you, as President of Esthar and as a friend, to help me get Ellone back. If there is a possibility that we may encounter Ultimecia again, I want to give you the opportunity to back out now."

Silence in the President's office. They were SeeDs, trained by Garden to be hired like the mercenaries they were, they were an elite force with high combat skills, and they were the SeeDs who had defeated the biggest threat to mankind. Squall did not need time to think. He knew what his response would be.

"We'll do it," Squall said. _We're gonna get Ellone back... Sis, we're gonna save you. Just hold on._

"I'm coming too," once more heads swivelled. This time Seifer returned the stares, his blue eyes unwavering. _This is a little personal thing between me and Ultimecia, it's pay back time_.

A familiar glint appeared in Seifer's eyes, and Squall had no problem in noticing it. He wondered for a moment what it would be like for Seifer to return back into action, to feel the adrenaline and excitement pumping thought his veins once more. Seifer was probably relishing the thought, with that grin - almost evil like - it was hard not to misinterpret what must have been going through his mind.

Focusing his mind at the task at hand, Squall organised the team into groups. In his mind he had a sneaking suspicion that Matron may be affected if it was Ultimecia they were dealing with. He debated with himself on who should accompany him to search for Odine, and who would return to the Orphanage to keep an eye on Edea, in case anything did happen to her. Squall certainly did not want Seifer out of his sight; he did not trust him enough to let him go with the other group. But neither did he want Zell to be in his group. Squall was having a hard time already keeping his anger under wraps, he was not sure if he would be able to keep Zell away from Seifer to not cause a fight. Finally deciding, Squall lifted his head and addressed his team.

"Right, Zell, Seifer and Instructor Trepe will come with me to search for doctor Odine. The rest of you: Selphie, Irvine and Rinoa go back to the Orphanage and watch over Matron. There may be a risk that Ultimecia will reach out to her, and turn her against us again. We'll keep contact via radio. If there's trouble, call, we'll try to respond as quickly as we can. Weapon upgrades can be done now before we depart, remember to junction GFs and magic. We'll take the Ragnorak and drop the second group a the Orphanage, and my group will take the Ragnorak to aide in our search.

"Alright!" Zell burst with sudden energy, his fists waving madly in the air. "Time to get-it-on!!"


	3. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

MS FF8 version parts 5-8

Chapter Five - Finding the Elusive Odine

****

Having left Selphie and the rest of the second group at the Orphanage, Squall returned back to the Ragnorak and instructed Zell to set a course for the Lunar Gate. Odine no longer held his place and laboratory in Esthar city. A year after Ultimecia's defeat, the eccentric doctor claimed an early retirement and was never seen again. Some said that he was living happily deep underground, preparing for what was to come. What it was exactly, nobody knew. Last anyone heard, Odine was 'conducting research', and for preparing. Nobody understood what this meant, but then most of the things he said were dismissed by people as being too odd.

Watching the clouds whirr by, Squall slipped into his own world and let his mind wander. He began to think about his position as field leader and commander. One thing was sure; it gave a heck of a lot of stress! Perhaps he would approach Instructor Trepe one time. She was better at handling tough situations - but then again Quistis was known to have difficulty coping with frustration, making her depressed over trivial matters - despite her cool exterior. So far, Seifer had done nothing to irritate Squall yet. In fact he was behaving quite well for a person who had an inability to take orders and control his temper - now _that_ was unusual. Before Squall had a chance to let his mind wander any further, Zell's loud voice broke into his thoughts, forcing him back into his role as 'leader'.

"Yo, Squall. We're here," Zell said, landing the Ragnorak on the plains that surrounded the Lunar Gate.

Nodding, Squall led the way to the entrance, stopping to speak to an assistant in a white lab coat. "Excuse me, where can we find Doctor Odine?" he asked.

The young assistant stared at Squall with an expression hard to read. He frowned, shifted his gaze and then frowned again. The mention of Doctor Odine obviously discomforted him, after all it had been a while since he last heard the name. "Umm. . . Doctor Odine. . .?" the male assistant said, trying to procrastinate but failing miserably.

It's not exactly a trick question! Squall thought. "Yes, Doctor Odine," Squall repeated.

"Umm. . . I dunno where Doctor Odine is. . ."

"Listen, worm. Tell us where Odine unless you wanna be eating this!" Seifer said, coming forward to take the petrified assistant by the lapels of his lab coat and thrusting his gun-blade in front of him.

"Seifer!" Quistis sharply chided.

Pushing him back, Seifer released his hold of the young assistant and stepped back - arms crossed over his chest in a brooding manner. Trying again, Squall turned to the assistant who was still recovering from Seifer's sudden attack. "Please, we need to see Doctor Odine. It's a matter of urgency,"

"Yeah, my mother's gonna die if we don't find him, and quick. And _you're_ gonna die if you don't tell us." Seifer growled, becoming impatient by the minute.

"Shut-up man, you've gone and scared the guy shitless!" Zell said, pushing Seifer on the shoulder. He was eagerly waiting for the chance to have a go at Seifer since he reappeared on the scene.

"Watch what you say Dincht, you might have to take thet back," Seifer said, his hand inching nearer to where he had his gun-blade.

"Who's gonna make me take them back? _You?_" Zell taunted, clenching his fists for a fight.

"Guys," Quistis warned. "You start a fight, and you'll have me to answer to."

Scowling, Seifer returned to crossing his arms across his chest. He wanted to find Ultimecia _now_, and exact his revenge on her. Nobody, except for Rinoa, knew what it was like to be controlled. Nobody _understood_ what he had to go through. It was because of Ultimecia that everyone favoured him with hate and disgust - even though not many favoured him to begin with. Even Raijin and Fujin finally left. He remembered what Raijin had said to him, after the fight with Squall and the others in the Lunatic Pandora. 'Don't know what's right any more, ya know!' It was true; all his actions had become totally irrational that it pushed away the two people Seifer could honestly call 'friends'. What would it be like to see Raijin and Fujin again? To get up to their usual pranks and taunting Squall? Seifer did not have time to ponder upon the past, as he saw the young assistant leaving with a fearful glance in his direction.

"Where's _he_ going?" he demanded, facing Squall.

"C'mon," Squall said, signalling for Zell and Quistis to follow.

"Where's he going?" Seifer repeated. "Did he tell you where to find Odine?"

"He doesn't know," Squall said, boarding the Ragnorak once again and seating himself on one of the chairs on the bridge.

"Whadya mean he doesn't know?! Like hell he doesn't!" Seifer snapped his temper over taking him.

"He said nobody knew where Odine had disappeared to. But he mentioned about articles," Squall said.

"Articles?" Quistis repeated.

Squall nodded. "Something about writing in articles when he retired. Said something about conducting research on time and compression."

"Did he mention where? In newspapers, what?" Quistis asked.

"That's all he would say," Squall concluded.

"Great, another wuss to join to the club of master chicken-wuss over here," Seifer said, jerking his head in Zell's direction.

". . .The hell did you say?! Say it to my face!" Zell stormed, lunging for him with his fists ready to do their worst.

"Leave it Zell," Quistis said, restraining the martial arts expert.

"We're going back to Balamb," Squall suddenly announced.

"What are we gonna do there?" Zell said, eyeing Seifer carefully who just smirked back in return.

"The library. I'm sure they have a collection of newspapers, magazines, whatever articles. Odine's bound to appear in one of them." Squall said.

"And what, we're meant to look through _all_ of them?" Seifer said with disapproval in his voice.

All Squall could do was shrug, "Got any better ideas?"

As it turned out, Seifer did not help out by looking through the articles with them, and instead went off inside Balamb Garden in search for his comrades. It was true, whispers floated in between students and SeeDs alike, even Xu and Nida were surprised to see Seifer wandering around the Garden freely, that they questioned a busy Squall in the library. Promising to explain once they were done with their task, Nida and Xu left Squall, Zell and Quistis to their business. They had been searching through dozens of articles from newspapers, magazines and anything else the library had to offer, but to no avail. Fifteen minutes into their search, Zell complained about food and disappeared to the cafeteria - to buy more hotdogs no doubt - leaving Squall and Quistis to the empty study area at the back of the library. Silently they worked, checking page after page for even a mention of Doctor Odine or the 'research' he was conducting. Still there was nothing. 

Sighing, Quistis tucked the parts of her blond hair behind her ears and glanced up at Squall with her tired blue eyes. All this effort seemed pointless when it seemed they were not going to get any answers just by flicking through sheaves of paper. Willing herself not to give in, Instructor Trepe took a thin journal-type booklet and looked with interest at the cover: a setting sunset with the title 'horizons' written in white across the cover. She read the caption below_: expanding the possibilities of science and technology_. Like the other magazines and newspapers she had searched, Quistis flicked through this particular booklet, only stopping to glance at the pictures on the various pages. That was when she saw it. At first she dismissed the thought that she had seen his picture, but then how many people dressed as oddly as Doctor Odine did. Yes! She was right! He had written a whole column, and there was his picture at the bottom. He was wearing the ridiculously over-large, orange blue, and white ruff around his neck, the very same one that Quistis always remembered him by. Excitedly she tore out the page containing the article and his picture. She was ready to reveal her findings to Squall when the intercom and the voice of Xu filled the entire Garden:

"This is a message for Squall and his group. You have instructions from the President of Esthar to return to the city immediately. I repeat, Squall and his group are to return to Esthar City on the order of the President."

Standing up, Squall ran out of the library - the newspapers lay forgotten. Could it be that they had received news about Ellone? Had she been found, dead or alive? Banishing the possibility of Ellone dead, Squall hurried into the cafeteria and called out to Zell who was busily wolfing down a hotdog, whilst holding another one in his hand.

"Zell, c'mon. We're going," Squall said.

"Wait a sec, let me-"

"Now," Squall ordered running back out again.

Thankfully he didn't need to search for Seifer as he was found bantering with Raijin and Fujin in front of the Directory. Signalling for him to follow, Seifer departed from his comrades, a joke about Zell escaping his lips which brought gales of laughter from them and followed Squall out of Balamb Garden. Quistis brought the rear - the article she had found on Odine forgotten, for now.

They reached Esthar City soon enough, all of them eagerly anticipated what Laguna had to say about Ellone. The other group with Selphie, Irvine and Rinoa were still with Matron at the Orphanage, but they could be informed of the events that had happened, later on. The first thing that they all noticed when they entered Laguna's room, was that there were four people instead of the usual three that consisted of Laguna, Kiros and Ward. Squall blinked hard and dared not believe his eyes. Standing next to Laguna was a young girl, a year older than he was, dressed in a blue sleeve-less white collared top, long white skirt and her trademark green shawl. . . Ellone. Yes, it was definitely Ellone, with her open face framed with brown chin-length hair, her gentle smile and her deep caring eyes. There was no mistaking Squall's beloved Sis.

So what did this all mean? Squall did not understand. Here was Ellone standing before him now, showing no signs of pain, in fact she almost looked calm and serene. It just didn't make sense to him. _So Seifer was wrong. It was just a false alarm. A year after Ultimecia's defeat, and Ellone going missing - I can see why there was so much worry_. Squall thought to himself. He saw the displeased look on Seifer's face, and the relief on Zell and Quistis'. Now that Ellone had returned, the others at the Orphanage could leave. Squall was genuinely pleased that Sis had come back. But where had Ellone disappeared to?

"Ellone. . ." Squall said with a faint smile.

"We found her wandering outside the city," Laguna's voice told them. "Said something about wanting to see the sun setting on the horizon."

Squall's smile froze on his face and he frowned. It was only a few hours after midday; it wasn't even dusk yet so how could Ellone possibly see the sun setting over the horizon? Laguna obviously failed to recognise the fault in her words because he had a happy smile plastered on his face, all he wanted was for Ellone to be safe and not be in the clutches of a Sorceress. As long as she was safe, then all was well.

So that's it? Squall wondered_. Sis - Ellone wanted to see the sunset when the sun is still high up in the sky?_ Something was wrong. Squall could sense that there was something wrong and he could see it in Ellone's eyes that she was hiding something - but was Ellone aware of this? Lowering her eyelids, Ellone murmured quietly to Laguna and then left the presidential office, stopping to give Squall a hug on her way out. Come to think of it, Ellone did look as though she was tired - as if she had her energy drained out of her.

"Well, I guess we can stop worrying now. Ellone's back, so we can concentrate on the task at hand, which is the parade." Laguna said brightly when the door clicked shut.

"I say there's still something wrong. Something very fishy," Seifer said unconvinced with Ellone's 'excuse'.

"You sure that it just ain't you?" Zell snickered, knowing that that would get Seifer's temper going.

"What?! C'mon you chicken, I'm gonna kick you ass!!" Seifer stormed his gun-blade out and ready for battle.

"Hey no fighting-" Laguna's voice said only to be cut off from the static coming from Squall radio. Even Seifer and Zell stopped bickering to listen to the message: it was Irvine.

"Squall? Squall, are you reading? You guys better get down here right away; we've got a major, major problem down here at the Orphanage. It's Matron. . . and Rinoa. Ultimecia's back."

Chapter Six - A New Foe and Midnight Wanderings

****

Squall had to keep on reminding himself about what Irvine had said as the Ragnorak flew at full speed in the direction of the Orphanage. His stomach did another somersault when Ultimecia's name entered his mind. And Rinoa! He had totally forgotten about Rinoa. After their first encounter with Edea at the parade in Deling City, Squall still remembered when they fought her after the plan to assassinate the Sorceress Edea failed. Irvine had been their 'sharp-shooter', the one armed with the sniper rifle to kill her. But Edea - quick witted Edea - or rather Ultimecia in Edea Kramer's body deflected the bullet which would have ended her life there and then. And so, Squall and Co. had to fight her. They had to fight Matron, and with the utmost difficulty. This was _their_ Matron they had been fighting. Nobody could understand what it was like to come up against someone who had served as a substitute mother for most of his or her childhood days. Rinoa had been part of Squall's group to fight Edea, and that was when her powers were transferred to the leader of the Forest Owls. That was how Ultimecia managed to control Rinoa, and that was how Rinoa became a 'sorceress'.

Seifer had a pleased look on his face. It looked like they were going to have to fight Ultimecia after all. _This is serious_, Squall thought bringing a hand up to his face. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why did I leave Rinoa unguarded? Should have seen, should have realised! No. . . Rinoa. _He wanted to tell Zell to go faster, to go as fast as the Ragnorak was capable of going. But what use was that to Rinoa or Matron if they reached the Orphanage, dead? Biting back his nerves, Squall exhaled and closed his eyes, wishing that the horrible nightmare would go away.

Clapping his hands with delight, Odine stared admirably at _his_ work of creation. He took quite a fancy to it and beamed once more at his brilliance. _Let's see who's the loony, the oddball now! _He thought, as he circled around his creation once more. Irvine and Selphie could do nothing in their power but watch. What could a shotgun and a nanchaku do to Odine and the sorceress Edea-Rinoa? Plus Ultimecia's foreboding figure, that loomed at one corner of the room. Besides, they needed Odine to return Matron and Rinoa back into their own separate bodies again.

The three of them had been talking quietly when a blinding light flashed inside the Orphanage when Odine with a strange looking machine appeared in the company of the Evil One, herself - Ultimecia. The sorceress from the future had not seemed to change since their last encounter with her. She was still evil, still scheming, and still wanting to take over this world. Simply put, she was still Ultimecia. What puzzled Irvine and Selphie the most was _how _on_ earth_ did Ultimecia manage to revive herself back from the dead? It couldn't possibly be called a miracle, because miracles didn't happen to evil people like Ultimecia - it was very puzzling, and Selphie and Irvine continued to ponder over this as they watched on helplessly.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Odine exclaimed, circling around Edea and Rinoa, combined together. "Sheer brilliance!"

"You're sick!" Irvine shouted at the ridiculously dressed scientist. "You're totally sick. What are you going to do to Rinoa? To Matron?"

Irvine, for a moment thought he saw a dangerous glint appear in the wacky doctor's eyes. The doctor gave a shrug to dismiss this, and ignored Irvine's insult. It was not until a good few minutes later that Irvine noticed that Ultimecia had not blinked for an entire three minutes. Although she could not exactly be referred to as 'human', living things were known to blink at least after a minute or so. Leaning close to Selphie, as not to distract the doctor, Irvine whispered to her.

"Selphie, is it me or has Ultimecia not blinked for quite a bit?" he asked her.

Blinking rapidly herself, Selphie's eyes widened in realisation and surprise. "Oh, yeah!" she said, keeping her voice low. "She hasn't blinked at all, Irvine. What has Odine done to her? What has he done to Matron and Rinoa? They're not blinking either, and their stares are freaking me out."

The sound of a whirring engine caught doctor Odine's attention. Soon he sped into action and gathered his machine and assembled Edea-Rinoa and Ultimecia next to him. All three disappeared just when the front door to the Orphanage burst open, Squall's group all equipped with their weapons.

"Where is she?" Seifer demanded, brandishing his gun-blade savagely. "Where the _hell_ has she gone?"

"Squall, he's taken Rinoa, Matron and Ultimecia!" Selphie cried, getting up on her feet and looking at her friends with despair.

"He?" Squall questioned. "I thought it was-" he was beginning to get confused. All the flying around half way across the world, in different continents, it was really wearing Squall and everybody out. Outside, the sun had begun to make its journey towards the horizon, the sky already a blaze of a yellow-orange and pink hue.

"Odine!" Selphie exclaimed. "He has Rinoa and Matron, and Ultimecia-"

"Selphie calm down," Irvine said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She was tired like all of them were. Except for Seifer, he was full of energy and fully awake as though he had taken a great dose of caffeine. "Odine appeared with Ultimecia and some weird machine at the Orphanage. We didn't dare try to battle because we thought our weapons were useless against Ultimecia. We thought it was wise if we waited for you to arrive. Anyway, Odine took Rinoa and Edea and did something to them. Their bodies - Odine did something so that their bodies merged as one. In the end, there was this person who was basically in the shape of Matron and with the face of Rinoa. Edea, Rinoa - it looked so freaky.

"But then I noticed that Ultimecia didn't seem to be doing much. She just stood there unblinking. I think Odine froze her or something. It looked like he had cast petrify on her - the same thing with Rinoa and Edea. Then you guys came, and he used his weird machine, and all of them vanished."

"What the hell is going on? What has Odine got to do with all of this? What is that freak doing with Matron and Rinoa? And I certainly wanna know what he's doing or gonna do to Ultimecia." Zell said.

"Oh Squall, what are we going to do??" Selphie asked clearly in distressed.

There's nothing we can _do,_ Squall thought helplessly. Nobody knew where Odine was hiding, or why he had Ultimecia in his possession, or why he had captured Rinoa and Edea. It was all very mystifying, leaving lots to be thought about. Squall clenched his fist in anxiety for Rinoa. If only he hadn't left her alone, and so vulnerable. . .

"We can't start a search now," Quistis said, the voice of reason as always. "We're all tired, and light is fading fast. It would do us all some good if we return to Balamb Garden, get some rest for the night, and start early the next day."

Everyone else nodded, and Squall saw Zell stifle a yawn and Selphie rubbing sleepily at her eyes. He was torn between looking after himself and finding Rinoa. _Something could have happened to her by tomorrow morning_, he reasoned with himself. _What if-_

"Squall?" Quistis' voice came to him like a gentle breeze, a voice of reassurance. "We'll get Rinoa and also Matron back. I promise."

Sleep refused to come for Squall. He had been lying awake in his dormitory for hours now and he was restless, restless for dawn to appear and the search for Rinoa to begin. Deep inside, his heart ached for the spirited young woman to be close to him once more, to feel the depth and warmth of her hug and to see her once again. Squall would always be known for holding back on his feelings, and it was that that put a strain to his heart and soul. _Rinoa. . . I'm sorry Rinoa. . . Forgive me. . ._ He was not helping anybody by feeling sorry for himself and for taking the blame on Rinoa's capture, but he couldn't help it. If he had been there for her, would have she been taken? _No, I would have been there to protect her._ _All these 'ifs'! It's like I have no control over my life, my future, my fate, and my destiny. I could have prevented all of this from happening if only I was at the right place and the right time_.

He was thinking of giving his role as field leader and commander over to Quistis even more. She had much more experience than he did, and Squall was sure Instructor Trepe would do a better job of handling complicated situations. Rolling over to his side, Squall sighed and closed his eyes, which immediately flew open again. All he could see in his mind was Rinoa, and her face and her smile - the torment for him would never end until she was found!

Frustrated, Squall sat up in bed and pulled on his boots and jacket on. Holstering his gun-blade, Squall quietly slipped away from the quiet sanctum of the dormitories, and walked around the deathly silent structure that was Balamb Garden. The only part of the Garden that was open this late at night was the training arena, and that was where Squall headed. Making sure he had Enc-none junctioned to one of his non-fighting abilities, Squall stepped inside the arena and exhaled deeply. The dark green colours of the trees, vines and a number different foliage found inside the training arena, gave him a sense of calmness inside. The solitude helped him a lot, because it was times like these, when he was alone and free to think to himself, that Squall became truly alive. He was no anti-socialist (or maybe he was - there were people Squall knew who would readily argue this), but a person who could be best described as someone who participated if something interested him. He was a lone wolf.

It was almost like a stroll through the woods, without the added distraction of T-Rexaur's or other flying creatures initiating combat. A soft crackle of a twig being stepped on sent his mind automatically into defence mode - his whole body tensing and his gun-blade out.

Quistis had not meant to surprise Squall. She had watched him quietly leave the dormitories and followed him here to the training arena. She couldn't help it, Quistis had a genuine soft spot for Squall. Because she was a year his senior and had known him since her childhood days, Quistis had always felt - always had this sense of responsibility for him especially after Ellone had left the Orphanage. Like Squall, Quistis had reacted on impulse and drew out her Save the Queen - the strongest and best weapon out of all the different type of whips.

It was made out of quite a few rare items, and she remembered the difficulty she experienced in obtaining them. She would forget the time when she had to fight a Marlboro in the Island Closest to Heaven. One thing she hated about the monster Malboro was that it had the ability to cast status changes on people and she found that it was usually its first attack. Status changes such as silence, berserk and sleep caused the person to have no control of their actions, and use commands as summoning GF's or using Magic.

Stunned, Quistis returned Squall's tensed look with her own blue eyes. Giving an embarrassed smile, the nineteen-year-old SeeD put away her weapon and shrugged almost apologetically.

"I'm sorry Squall. I was worried," she said.

Sighing inwardly, Squall holstered his gun-blade and put a hand to his face. Following people, especially when it was in a place such as the training arena, was _not_ a good idea - the place at night was full of nasty surprises, and Squall thought he had just received one until he noticed the glint of his Instructor's glasses.

"I couldn't sleep," he confessed, hanging his head as if in shame.

"Squall, don't blame yourself for what's happened to Rinoa. We all feel the same way, if it's any help I couldn't sleep either." Quistis said.

"I feel so guilty, Quistis. I should have known better, I should have realised-"

"That's enough Squall," Quistis said sharply. "I'm sure Rinoa wouldn't want you to worry about her. She's a strong person, nothing will happen to her, not if the SeeDs can help it, OK? Smile a little; Squall because we are going to get her back."

Showing a hint of a smile, Squall silently thanked Quistis for keeping him in check. He did not want to break down in front of her. As some people would believe it, Squall was not a heartless person. He had feelings; he had emotions like everyone else. He just had a problem expressing them, and Rinoa had helped him cope with that. She helped him express himself without feeling like a fool. Another twig breaking caught their attention - reflex actions causing both of them to draw.

"Whoa! Geez, put the weapons down, I come in peace!" Zell's voice said in the darkness, which earned a muttered curse from Squall and a smothered laugh from Instructor Trepe.

"You couldn't sleep either?" Squall guessed.

"Well. . . sort of. But I saw you leaving your dorm, and I kinda followed. . ." Zell said sheepishly. The way he had phrased the sentence gave the wrong implications, and he laughed at his own stupidness.

What is it with people following me? Squall wondered with one of his small smiles. He did not mind, but he wished that the approach was more open, all the creeping about was jangling his nerves. At least he had Zell and Quistis if he ran into any monsters - which was unlikely as he had the Enc-none ability junctioned.

A voice from amid the gloomy silence that followed caught their attention. It was Zell who recognised who the person was.

". . . The hell is he doing here?" Zell demanded from nobody in particular. He could hear Seifer calling out to him.

"Chicken wuss. . . Hey chicken wuss, where did you-" Seifer taunted. "Oh, there you are," he said, grinning at both Squall and Quistis, when he finally noticed them.

"You following me?" Zell said.

"Don't flatter yourself," Seifer said dryly. "Just checking what you're up to. I see that we have a mid-night meeting. C'mon spill it out, does Zell still wet the bed? Or that Doctor Kadowaki has a secret crush on Headmaster Cid?" the grin of his widening at Zell's storming face.

"Don't be immature, Seifer," Quistis said coldly.

"My dear Instructor," Seifer mocked. "Immature is the word best to describe _him_ over there,"

"His name is Zell," Quistis said.

Shrugging, Seifer leaned his body against a tree and continued to grin to himself. A rustle of leaves brought his hand to his side, his finger ready to pull at the trigger, his gun-blade pointing in the direction of the sound.


	4. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

Resurrection - part seven

Chapter Seven - Friends in Need

****

Seifer's hard blue eyes were transfixed onto the wavering shadows that moved in the moonlight. He was ready to pull the trigger to his gun-blade just as a warning to whoever was lurking out there, when the sudden appearance of Selphie's face jumping out of nowhere almost scared him to death, and nearly fired the gun-blade at her.

"Geez! What the hell are you trying to do, coming out of nowhere?!" Seifer yelled, raking a shaking hand through his blond hair, and then muttering to himself. "Scaring the shit out of me. Yeah, and what is the deal with everyone following me, huh? Have _you_ got a thing for me too, besides that wuss??"

Smiling her sunny smile, Selphie gave an apologetic gesture before wagging a finger at him. "Had to follow you Seifer," she said, "you might have gone to do something baad."

"Ooh, like whaat??" Seifer said sarcastically. "Went and followed hot-dog lover here and found Squall and the Instructor too and what looked liked a secret rendezvous." a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"Shut-up, Seifer," Squall said coldly and continued walk through the ferns and bushes, away from Seifer's mocking voice.

"You'll never change," Quistis said with a hint of sadness, and went to go after Squall.

"Irvine?? Irvine where are you?" Selphie called out into the gloom.

"What, cowboy is here too??" Seifer asked. "Why don't we just wake the _whole_ of Balamb Garden and throw a party?!"

Irvine appeared from amidst the drooping branches of a yew tree, his cowboy hat titled forwards as he covered a hand over his mouth to hide a yawn. "I was sleeping," he complained. "Nice dream too, a brunette, blonde, even a ginger headed. . ." another yawn followed.

"Maybe one day when we're all dying of boredom you can tell us your erotic fantasies, huh, Irvine?" Seifer suggested with a smirk before ducking out of sight to search for Squall and Instructor Trepe.

"Scum bag!" Irvine called after him. "Always were, always will be!"

Balamb Garden looked considerably beautiful tonight, highlighted by the blue haze of the night-time sky and the moon. Squall inhaled a gulp full of air and then exhaled. His insides were churning up with too much emotion and the need to confide in someone. Ellone would have been the number one person Squall would have turned to in this time of loneliness. But Squall was never lonely from the start. Even though his mother had died when he was still young, and abandoned by his father, Squall still had his friends. Friends that still stood by him even now. So what was the problem, what was holding him back?

I need your help Rinoa. . . help me out. . .

Silently, Quistis stood next to him her youthful face admiring the structure that was the Garden. She was beautiful, smart and could stand her ground. She was wondering when she would meet the "right person" to liven up her life. At one stage she had thought it was Squall, but no. She knew that from the moment Squall had danced with Rinoa at the graduation ball, he had made up his mind who he liked. But even then he still acted subdued towards the Forest Owl leader - typical Squall. And as she recalled - _if_ she could trust her memory that was affected by the usage of the GF's - Squall had been reluctant to help rescue Rinoa when she was left dangling at a broken section of Balamb Garden during the Galbadian attack. Everything changed over time, Squall learnt to open up, and Quistis felt Rinoa had done a great deal to pry apart the tightly shut shell that covered the Squall underneath.

"Yes, Squall?" Quistis whispered when she heard him call her name. The older girl turned and faced the boy, and found him struggling to put his feelings into words. She wanted to help, but knew she couldn't. _No Quistis let him learn - he'll shut up like a clam if you don't let him learn_.

"This leader and commander position I hold, I, I don't think-" he began and was not allowed to continue because Quistis stopped him in mid-sentence.

"No, Squall. No. I won't let you say it, I won't listen to what I know you're going to say." Quistis said, turning her back from him.

"I can't-"

"Can't?!" she echoed. "What do mean you _can't?_ You _can_," Quistis said fiercely. "I know you can. Your friends know you can, 'you "just don't think you're able to carry on. You're stronger than this Squall - Griever? A lion, known for it's courage and strength? That's you Squall, don't give up now."

"But I feel. . . so low," he said, his crystal blue eyes hazing over and his breathing becoming heavier. "If we do find Rin-"

"We will find her," Quistis put in firmly.

"What would I say to her, Quistis? It's all my fault that I left her alone. I wasn't there when she needed me. . . Rinoa. . . she'll hate me forever. . ."

"Will you stop blaming yourself!" Quistis snapped, and then her face softened to a look of pain that matched his. "Squall, there was nothing you could do that Irvine and Selphie couldn't. Stop thinking it's a one-man mission, we're all here to help. We're all just as worried as you are. And she won't hate you forever, Rinoa could never do that to someone like you." Placing a gloved hand on his shoulder, the Garden Instructor gave him an awkward hug of reassurance.

The sound of boots clanking on the metal stairs made Quistis quickly withdraw from Squall's side, but gave him a look of encouragement.

"Sooo, this is where everybody heads off to, to make out, eh?" Seifer said, glancing in the direction of Squall and Instructor Trepe. "Honestly Instructor, if I'd known about this, I would have been the first to volunteer, free of charge."

Blushing furiously, Quistis set her back to Seifer and pretended to look on with interest the splendid view at this part of the training area provided. None of what Seifer had said was true of course, so why was she embarrassed at his antics when she knew very well that they were his idea of a 'joke'? Shaking his head as a resigned gesture, Squall's hand wandered to where his neck was and he fingered the Griever necklace that hung there. Rinoa had a replica of his Griever ring that Zell had done for her, and now he stared at the ring on his finger when he removed on of his gloves. He _was_ stronger than this he knew it.

Pulling himself together, Squall banished the thought of a disastrous ending in this experience of his teenaged life and only thought of the words that Quistis had said to him. His mind wandered back to when they had rushed back to Esthar City, and Ellone had been found. She, at the time, had appeared considerably tired and drained of energy, which was very unlike the Ellone Squall knew. He still thought that there was more to what Ellone was telling them or even her 'Unca Laguna'. Her excuse was too abrupt, too short with not enough detail - in other words it was too simple for anyone's liking which left quite a lot to the person's imagination. And knowing Squall and his friends, they all had good imaginations especially one in particular.

"Uh, oh, we're losing him," Seifer drawled seeing Squall's face cloud over.

Ignoring him, Squall turned to address his fellow SeeDs and friends. "First thing tomorrow morning we're gonna start the search for Rinoa and Matron. Wherever we find them, we're bound to find Odine and Ultimecia. Whatever Odine intends to do, it surely can't be good which is why we've gotta find him fast and soon."

"With ya all the way, Squall!" Zell said balling his fists up and punching the air. "We're gonna kick their ass!"

"Leave Ultimecia to me," Seifer said. He was not asking politely, he was saying. "Frozen state or not, she's mine."

A personal vendetta? Squall wondered. Well it would be if it were him who had his dreams taken away and played for like a lowly pawn. "Thanks Zell," Squall said appreciating the support.

"It is important that we carefully prepare ourselves tomorrow. We do not know exactly what Odine has in mind and what he intends to do, but be rest assured we can expect some sort of onslaught." Quistis said, jumping right into her role as instructor and teacher. "Good sleep _and_ a good breakfast should prepare us well enough. And Zell, try eating something other than hot-dogs for a change?" she suggested to the mohawkish haired boy.

"Don't want to sleep and I'm not hungry," Seifer said almost like the petulant child he was before. _Or maybe I am. Hungry for revenge, that is._ "Anyone wanna do some training?"

"With you? Nah, I'd give it a miss, it might ruin my appetite for tomorrow morning," Zell said, clambering back down the stairs and back to the dormitories.

Ah, the chicken-wuss is learning. He'll soon get to be good as me.

"Sorry, the brunette, blonde and ginger beckon me back to my bed." Irvine said, grinning as he went.

"Fwaahha!" Selphie yawned, and gave an apologetic, sleepy smile. "Too tired. . ."

Not content with leaving Seifer and Squall all on their own in the training area, Quistis gave them a few solid words before departing. "I don't want a repetition of last year, you understand? It's bad enough having both of you with scars on your faces. And I don't you wearing yourselves out OK? I certainly don't want one of you, or either falling out in battle, if the need to fight should arise."

"You got it, Instructor," Seifer said with his charismatic charm and boyish grin. "Me and Squally will play nicely."

Here was his chance to run, to leave now before anything bad could further happen. But would he run? Squall wanted to finish his 'chat' with Seifer, and what better place to do it in? He hadn't practised enough on his sword skills lately and now was his chance to do so, against his number one rival.

"We'll be fine, Instructor," Squall said, matching Seifer's taunting eyes stare for stare.

A small nod, and Quistis left without further questioning, the heels of her boots echoing eerily against the metal of the stairs before quieting to a soft whisper against the undergrowth of the ferns and bushes that populated the main training area.

"Don't expect me to be kind to you, Squall," Seifer said leaving down the stairs and out into the open, drawing out his gun-blade at the same time. "Ready? En guard,"

Chapter Eight - Tainted Dreams

****

It was no surprise to find Zell and Quistis up and early, and one of the few people that occupied the area of the cafeteria with all the chairs and tables. Despite Quistis' suggestion, the martial arts expert refused to not buy any of the hot-dogs that the women at the cafeteria had prepared for the 'great rush' that was to be expected later on. Hungrily Zell took a big bite out of his third hot-dog and chewed vigorously whilst Quistis did her best not to take a glimpse of his awful eating habits - her hands encircling a cup full of rich caffeine goodness.

Taking a seat beside Zell, Squall went and set down his own cup of caffeine and stared vacantly at the swirling mass of brown liquid in the cup. Seifer and him had fought last night; both battling with renewed energy and vigour. Both had improved over time, and when it was decided that they should both call it for a night, the two teenagers knew that their sword skills were that of a very high level. This time, their 'training session' was an actual one, magic and GF's prohibited. Squall had gained a tremendous amount of satisfaction out of battling Seifer. All the tension and the anger that Squall felt towards him were released every time the metal of each of their gun-blades struck.

Selphie and Irvine were the next to arrive in the cafeteria, their faces fully rejuvenated after the good night's rest they had. Seifer was the last to enter, carrying his gun-blade in full sight as he came to join them. The voice of one of the cafeteria lady's halted him in mid-stride.

"Uh, young man? Weapons are to be kept away whilst inside here. Those are the rules, you should know them by now." Dismissing what he was being told to do, Seifer rolled his eyes and shrugged but put his gun-blade away anyway.

"Mornin' everyone," he said, grabbing a chair from another table and sitting on it the wrong way round. Squall and company raised eyebrows at him in a questioning gesture and also one of surprise. "Wha-? Oh I get it. Wait I haven't thought of something degrading to say to anyone yet," Seifer said, a smile pulling at his mouth.

"You're freakin' me out," Zell muttered, continuing to indulge himself with his plate of hot-dogs. "Weirdo, must be your hormones playin' up as usual."

"How do you do it?" Selphie asked in awe as she watched Zell swallow down another mouthful of hotdog. "I can't do that without knowing I'd gain a couple of pounds."

"Ah, it's top secret," Zell said mysteriously. "It's got to do with these," he said holding his fists up.

"Yeah, he's a sado-masochist really, y'know," Seifer said leaning back on the chair. "He likes inflicting pain on himself - basically beats out all the energy he got from the hot-dogs, so he loses all of it."

"I'd like to inflict pain on you in a minute," Zell growled. "Keep talkin' Seifer and I'll beat all the life out of you. Let's see if a phoenix down'll cure a blow to the head."

"I'm not worth the bother, Dincht," Seifer drawled, "better save it for someone like you."

"You bast-" Zell said, angrily getting to his feet.

"Honestly!" Quistis snapped as Zell's sudden movement caused the liquid in her cup and Squall's to slosh all over the place. "Why can't you be civilised for even a little while?!"

"Tell that to him!" said Zell, jabbing a finger where Seifer Almasy sat, grinning from ear to ear. "Always takin' the piss, causing trouble."

"Like you don't?" Seifer grunted. "I've been picking on you Dincht, and Leonhart - puberty boy since we were kids. You telling me you _still_ haven't got used to it?"

"Not if I can help it," Zell started again.

The chink of metal hitting something hard and solid quietened the bickering between Seifer and Zell. Squall had his gun-blade out, the tip of had made an indent on the ground - a stern look on his face.

Ooh, we've made Mr. Cool angry now, Seifer thought and was oddly pleased because of this.

"We should get going as soon as possible," Squall said evenly. "We don't know how long our search will be. It's best if we start early as we can."

"Hey, we've been waiting for the 'go' signal, Squall. Just give it when you're ready." Irvine said, levelling his cowboy hat.

"Fine, let's go,"

First stop was Esthar City. The parade and festivities that were to follow after - was due to start at four o'clock in the afternoon that day. The time had just gone nine o'clock when the group of teenagers landed at the Airstation of the enormous city, and arrived at the Presidential Palace. Laguna Loire looked grim when Squall told him of their plans to track down Odine, and to put a stop to his 'manic idea'. Laguna did not find the idea of Ultimecia wandering around the 'present' world spreading her havoc, and the other possibility of another sorceress - Edea-Rinoa, too appealing and nodded in agreement at the SeeDs proposal.

Before their departure, Squall stopped for a brief moment to question Laguna on how Ellone was doing.

"Ellone? Oh, she's still in her room - she said she was still very tired. She's asked for a lot of stuff to eat, but hasn't actually eaten anything." Laguna said, scratching the back of his head. "Odd that,"

Squall found Ellone in a deep sleep, in her own private quarters inside the safe confines of the Presidential Palace. From the doorway, Squall could see that her unblemished complexion had gone a sickly pale colour. Ellone stirred slightly in her sleep, her breath becoming laden - a frown creasing her brow.

"No. . .!" she called out, still in her sleep, her voice, like the sound of someone being horribly tortured. "No. . . please, stop! Stop. . . Odine, no!"

Odine! Squall thought, _what has Odine got to do- Hell, no! Please, don't let it be what I think it is._ Approaching the bed, Squall gently shook the girl away from her dream. "Ellone? Wake up, it's OK I'm here. It's me, Squall."

The eyelids of the girl instantly flew open, her face washing over with relief. "Oh, Squall," Ellone said, hugging the boy close to her, tears rolling down the sides of her face. "It was horrible, I couldn't do anything. He's, he's crazy, he's going to-"

"Sssh," Squall ordered, calming her building hysteria. "It's OK, I'm here. I'll make it go away."

"Please, yes make it go away," Ellone pleaded like a frightened child. "Don't let it come back."

After a few moments of pure silence, Ellone's quiet sobs ceased. Squall broke their embrace, and stared directly into her dark eyes, her cheeks stained by the tears.

"Ellone," he began gently. "Odine, what did he do to you? Is he the reason why you disappeared?"

The older girl nodded miserably, and buried her face into the fur of his leather jacket, as an act of shameful gesture. Placing a gloved hand on her head, Squall swallowed - at least tried to swallow - the painful lump building up in his throat. This scene reminded him too much of Rinoa, when he had rescued her at the Sorceresses Memorial. It was this thought that enabled him to swallow that lump, and exactly the same thought that fuelled his motivation to continue.

"What was it that Odine did to you that was so terrible?" he asked. "You've gone very pale, and you haven't eaten."

"Odine has this machine," Ellone began shakily. "He used it to drain the energy and my powers out of me," she said.

Hell no. . . Squall thought. Odine was attempting to compress their world! Only Ultimecia had the power to manipulate anyone like that - she was feeding Odine with empty promises. Odine had cleverly designed a machine that could store and harness Ellone's amazing ability, and use it accordingly to his will. One thing Squall certainly did not like, was the idea that Odine was succeeding_. Not this. . . not again_, Squall begged silently. _Not this nightmare all over again._

"Where had he taken you?" Squall next asked,

"To a place of blazing light, a light of orange, yellow and pink hues." Ellone said dreamily. For a moment Squall thought he was going to lose her, that she'd fall back to sleep, but somehow with the amount of energy she was lacking, she managed to remain awake.

A place of orange, yellow and pink hues. . . Squall wondered. Where had he- the sunset! That was what Laguna had told them. Ellone had wanted to see the sun set. But that still didn't answer the question of where Odine was hiding.

"Ellone, where exactly had Odine taken-" Squall asked and then stopped when Ellone's arms crept around his neck. "Ellone?" It was too late; she had fallen asleep in his arms.

The remaining members were back on board the Ragnorak, waiting for Squall to return but had, mean while made a discovery too. Quistis had rediscovered the article on Odine, having placed it safely in one of the pockets in her clothes. During their time at Balamb Garden, Quistis had not found the time or opportunity to examine and thoroughly read the article from the scientific journal: 'Horizons'. She now read the article out aloud for everyone else to hear. When she had finished, she received a mixture of confused, angry and unsatisfied remarks.

"See, he's nuts. Totally whacked out," Zell said jamming his hands into his short pockets.

"He's genetically ill," Seifer corrected, studying the blade of his weapon with acute interest. "He shouldn't have been given a lab to conduct all his little 'experiments'. He's probably got a torture chamber tucked away somewhere." That last sentence, Seifer regrettably wished he could have swallowed. All eyes raised to meet his, and Seifer had to shut his own to avoid them. They of course were thinking of the time when they, excluding Irvine and Rinoa, had been thrown inside the D-District prison. Quistis, Zell and Selphie realised that from the 'dream-world', the prison was the same place that Ward had worked in, and that Squall was somewhere there too.

Squall had been taken away for questioning, and during his time as a 'sorceress' knight', Seifer had been the one in charge. Having Squall shackled against the wall that was connected to a set of controls managed by a soldier, Seifer began his interrogation. For every question that brought an unsatisfactory reply, Seifer would signal for the leaver to be pulled down and Squall would feel the electrical currents searing through him, frying his nerve endings and making them sizzle. What a maniac he had been what a fool. Raising a hand to his face, Seifer shook his head at the memories and willed them to go away.

"Well, we can't exactly help that now, can we?" Quistis sighed. "What is done, is done."

"Where could Odine be though?" Irvine questioned. "He's got himself a pretty damn good hiding place."

"Anyone seen Squall?" Selphie asked from her seat in the pilot chair.

On cue, the door to the bridge opened and the elevator that led there jolted to a stop. Squall stepped in, his mouth a thin line.

"Squall?" Quistis inquired.

"It was Odine," he said, dumping himself on a seat next to Zell.

"Care to elaborate a little on that?" Seifer suggested. "Quistis just read out an article on his work."

"When Ellone had disappeared, it was Odine who had taken her. He has this machine that has absorbed her energy and powers."

"She OK?" Selphie asked.

"She's fine, except tired and slightly pale in colour." Squall informed.

"Geez, the hell's he up to?" Zell said.

"Time compression," Squall answered simply. "He's attempting time compression by harnessing Ellone's powers in the machine he has. That way he had better control."

"Why? Why do it?" Irvine said, not understanding. "He can't live in a time-compressed world, none of us can, so why do it? For her that _thing_? She isn't worth all the gil in the world."

"I was wondering that myself, one of the questions I'll be asking him once we find him." Squall said.

"I wouldn't give him the chance," Zell said, pounding his fists together. "I'd kick his ass from here to the next galaxy."

"You can do that Zell, once we locate him," Squall said. "I don't want to be running around in circles, so any ideas to where he could be?"

"The only real clue we have is this article," Quistis said waving the article in the air. "We could contact the publisher group and get an address for Odine, that way." she suggested.

Squall shook his head against the idea. "It would take too long. Remember that assistant at the Lunar Gate? He said nobody knew where he was."

"Lying through his teeth," Seifer said.

"Horizons," they heard Zell mutter. "She wanted to see the sun set over the horizon. Horizons that magazine that Odine writes in. Wait a sec. . ." His voice quietened, and there was silence on the bridge of the Ragnorak. "I got it!" the martial arts expert said suddenly, making everyone jump. "Where's the best place to see a sun set?" he asked his team-mates.

"We don't have time for this!" Seifer lashed out.

"Seifer, have you run out of chill-pills? Tsk, tsk, you know you have to take your medication regularly." Zell mocked - he was getting pretty good at the insults! "OK, sorry. The furthest place in the whole world," he amended.

"Zell, we really don't have time for games," Quistis said siding with Seifer for once.

"No, just wait a sec. If ya think about it, right now the furthest place in this planet will get a brilliant sunset, huh?"

"Go on," Squall said, he was beginning to understand what Zell was driving at.

Zell shrugged, "So where's the furthest place that exists in this world, then?"

"The deep sea research facility!" Selphie exclaimed, her fingers already tapping in the co-ordinates.

"Exactly!" Zell said with a pleased look in his face.

"Of course!" Irvine agreed, nodding his head in understanding now. "A great place. It's deserted and far from any civilisation, just perfect. The exact same place where other scientists conducted their own research into genetically creating Guardian Forces.

"Privacy and the equipment is all Odine needed to do what he wanted to do," Squall said. "The underground research facility gave him that."

"Pity we didn't think of it sooner," Quistis said.

"Let's hope that we're not to late,"


	5. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

MS FF8 version parts 9-12

Chapter Nine - Old Haunts

****

The deep sea research facility had not remained secret for much longer, when Squall and his group discovered the now abandoned place a year ago during their discovery of the rest of the world, before the showdown with Ultimecia in her castle. It was the exact same place, that Squall and his group fought the numerous Ruby Red dragons and then eventually the legendary Guardian Force: Bahamut. Zell, with his considerable knowledge of machinery had been with Squall, as well as Selphie when they attempted to gain another GF, this time Eden. It was Zell who knew about the existence of the deep-sea research facility and what sort of work was being conducted there.

The six of them, before disembarking the Ragnorak organised themselves into two groups before heading pit of the ship and entering the depths of what used to be the deep sea research facility. All had junctioned their magic, Guardian Forces and abilities according to his/her own preferences. This time Squall did not junction the Enc-none ability and instead junctioned 'Revive' in its place. Although there would be random encounters of whatever beasts and monsters that lurked within the wrecked research facility, Squall did however, did not want to take the chance of losing a team member against a high levelled, or difficult to beat monster.

Because of the majority of boys in the current team of six, Squall against his own will - grouped Seifer with Irvine and Selphie. He knew Seifer's capability and vigour to fight as a mercenary, and Seifer knew his. If Squall had gone with his own wishes he was sure that the second group would be at the greatest disadvantage, should they come up against a strong foe.

Zell and Quistis followed directly behind him, as Squall took the lead. No other source of provided them with light to guide them on their way, except for the streak of sunlight that crept inside through a crevice in the ceiling. Finding a discarded piece of wood, Squall used the lowest fire magic and cast it on the slightly damp piece of wood - from the growth of moss - and used it as a temporal torch to aide them in their decent deeper into the research facility.

Echoed shouts halted Squall and his team in their tracks. Seifer and his group had dwindled slightly behind - a few metres back - and because the light Squall was holding was not as good he hoped it would be - the three of them had to peer into the gloom to locate where they were.

"Irvine, have you got first strike?" Seifer's voice said in the darkness, while Squall shone the torch in the right direction to see Seifer's tall figure clad in the long grey trench coat.

"Yeah-"

"Have you got Aura on your magic list?"

"Yeah-"

"Cast it on me,"

"What?! No, we have to strike at it first before it gets a swipe at us." Irvine protested, raising his Exeter - he had wheedled the two screws needed for the upgrade from Quistis - to aim and fire.

"Just do as I say and cast Aura on me now!" Seifer said impatiently.

Muttering under his breath, the student originally from Galbadia Garden used an Aura spell and cast it onto Seifer - the magic creating a glow to the place with blazing blue and white hues. It was Selphie's turn in combat and aimed her weapon at the unseen monster - the visibility was not that good despite Squall's good attempt to shed some light. Deciding to use Scan as her next move, Selphie backed down for now until it was her turn again.

The orange/yellow aura that engulfed Seifer told Squall that much that he was eagerly anticipating the chance to use his Limit Break. Squall knew what it was like to face the brunt of Seifer's special attacks, Squall knew all too well - as it was him that Seifer envied and had a grudge against. _Just like a Tonberry,_ Squall thought, thinking of the 'Everyone's Grudge' attack that the weird little knife wielding and lantern carrying thing was known to use. Finally getting his chance, Seifer slashed at the beast and from the way he plunged the blade of his weapon into it, Squall knew that he was looking at Seifer's Demon Slice attack - and quite an impressive attack it was too. When his assault was through, Seifer, his blond hair ruffled and small fringe at the front of his forehead moved gently form the heaving of his chest turned and glared back at Squall with blue eyes that had a dangerous gleam of an appetite that had just been satisfied.

The creature, slumped on the floor with a steady flow of blood pouring out, gave one more shudder of release before finally dying.

"Piece o' cake," Seifer said with a smug grin in Squall's direction, dusting his trench coat before sheathing his gunblade back in place.

"What a waste," Irvine said in disgust. "Squall, hand me your torch." Taking the lighted piece of wood, Irvine crouched down onto the floor and held the shining light against the dead beast. "What a waste," the cowboy repeated with even more disgust in his voice. "It wasn't even a Ruby Red, or anything higher than that."

"What was it?" Quistis asked, coming to stand next to Irvine to have a look see. "Oh my, not a Ruby Red at all."

"Ah, stop whining Kinneas!" Seifer said irritably. Performing the Demon Slice had been exhilarating, and had given him that extra boost in confidence and his ability to fight extremely well. Right now, Irvine and Instructor Trepe were extinguishing his burning flame.

"Oh, it's just an Anacondeur," Selphie said, disappointment in her normally cheerful voice. "Yeah, what a big waste."

"OK!" Seifer snapped. "No need to rub it in, geez! It was _one_ aura spell, why you buggin' over that for, Irvine?"

Irvine shrugged and handed the torch back to Squall, "All I'm pointing out is, don't blame me if we run out short on aura magic, and we come up against Ultima Weapon's twin brother.

"Ultima has a twin bro?!" Zell said, suddenly looking up. Irvine sighed and placed a hand over his face, shaking his head.

"Figure of speech, Zell." Squall said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Come on, let's find Odine and set the record straight."

"So Ultima has a twin bro?!" Zell asked Quistis with a slightly worried look. When they had gone to gain the GF Eden, they had to 'draw' it out of the massive beast. They had gone with the same strategy that was used when trying to gain the Guardian Force: Catuar, on Catuar Island, but still Ultima put on a difficult fight. Not only did it have a tremendous amount of hit-points to be hacked off; it also had fierce attacks that took an equable amount of hit-points off members on Squall's party and himself. That was the hardest battle they had come up against - that was until Squall and co. were introduced to Omega Weapon, the ultimate GF - by Squall's reckoning - Griever, and of course Ultimecia and her other forms.

The 'pish' sound from the small puddles of water on the floor told Squall that they were descending further and further down the research facility. He heard Zell curse under his breath when dripping water from over head, landed on his straw-blond, plumed hair. The air had become noticeably dank and musty, with Selphie letting out a squeal of protest about how unhygienic it was to work in such conditions.

All complaints ceased when Squall ordered for silence, and stopped in front of a door with a security lock that required a code to gain access inside, and whatever laid within. . . _Odine has to be in there,_ Squall reasoned to himself quietly. _Security lock on a new looking door. . . it has to be where Rinoa and Matron are being held, and Ultimecia. . ._ So far, Ultimecia had no clear reason through which accusations could be made against her, but no doubt a more subtle and ulterior motive. The fact that Odine had been researching on time and compression did not lighten the guilt that Ultimecia _was_ trying to succeed in her second attempt to destroy their world - using Odine as her puppet.

The only think that stopped Squall and his team from busting Odine's ass, and possibly Ultimecia's once more, was the damn code needed to break the security look. Seifer saw the dejected look on Squall's face and impatiently pointed his gun-blade at the computerised lock - a bullet from the gun-blade was sure to let the door give way for them. Selphie's cry to 'stop' was what halted Seifer from squeezing the trigger. He gave an exasperated sigh and glared at the girl, originally from Trabia Garden, with raised eyebrows.

"What now?!" he said rather rudely.

"There's a warning notice on the wall," Selphie said, signalling for Squall to come where she was so she could read what the notice said.

__

Warning: the correct code for the security lock must be inputted to gain entry.

Physical or magical force will activate the self-destruct mechanism.

"Ah, brilliant!" Seifer snapped, kicking the wall in annoyance.

"Guess that idea's gone out of the window," Quistis said glumly.

"What do we do now, Squall?" Selphie said in imploring tones.

__

I dunno! Does it look like I have all the answers??! It was really beginning to be ridiculous, tedious and annoying. The number if times they had to zip across the world, to different continents and places - it was costing them big time for the Ragnorak's fuel. Not only that, there was the minor - yet frustrating - obstacles to over come too. It felt like to Squall that they were being led on some wild Chocobo chase. In front of them was an obstacle now, it would be simple enough if only the code - the _correct_ code - was known!"

Patting the sides on his long blue shorts, Zell came up with a hand-held device and beamed. "Hey, look what I found," he said, showing Squall.

"A scrambler, eh?" Seifer said, nodding at the gadget Zell had and the flashing green and red lights from the light emitting diodes. "Impressive Dincht, where did you filch it from?"

The martial arts experts coloured slightly, but made no response. "Where _did_ you get it, Zell?" Quistis said with a spark of curiosity.

"I, uh," Zell stuttered, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish look that everyone recognised. "Hey, Rinoa and Matron need us!" he said. Hastily Zell attached the scrambling device onto the security lock, and pressed the button that would decode the secret code. "Bingo!" Zell said triumphantly. "The code's: 3N100," Detaching the scrambler, Zell pocketed the very handy device and cleared the way for Squall. Tightening his grip around the piece of blazing wood that was holding well because of its dampness. Swallowing, Squall nudged open the door, gaped and fell back slightly.

Chapter Ten - A Close Shave [part one]

****

"By Ifrit," Squall whispered his mind boggled by the sheer enormity of the machine that dominated the majority of the very large and well-lit room. Extinguishing the flame to the torch, Squall took a hesitant step forward into the room that was filled with assorted machines and computer panels with more flashing LED's.

The huge machine that was the centrepiece of Odine's private laboratory, was approximately the same height as Ultima Weapon. At the core, a transparent cylindrical casement made of metal that could hold an extremely tall person caught Squall's attention. He had no doubts - judging by the size of it - to who Odine had kept in there.

"Whoa!" Zell gushed; hurrying over to where the machines and computers were, but then turned to see what everyone was looking at with interest. "... The hell's that?!"

"Ultimecia's cage," Seifer said softly. Hearing it coming from him, it almost sounded. . . poetic?

"Then where is she?" Irvine asked. "'Cos I don't see no sorceress inside."

"Squall, do you see Rinoa or Matron anywhere?" Quistis asked, moving to one side of the vast room to search for them.

__

There's nothing here but machine, computers and remnants of Odine's junk! I don't see him, Rinoa or _Matron. Forget Ultimecia! If she poses as a real threat, then I'll start to worry._

"Over here!" Selphie's shout rang into Squall's mind and he found himself running towards her.

Selphie stood before a similar transparent casement, this time the size of a normal human being and this time someone _was_ inside. Squall wasn't sure how to react. Should he puke and make an even greater mess of the current situation, or rant and rave like a childish brat? Either way, it wasn't going to ease the problem, help anyone, and least of all help Rinoa or Matron. Standing close to the think glass casement, Squall let out a sigh of regret and helplessness, his breath causing the glass to condense. _Rinoa. . . what have I done? You're. . . _He couldn't bring about the words in his mind, let alone say them.

Her eyes gazed back at him a hollow distant manner, and Squall felt himself blink back the tears that threatened to spill any minute now. Seifer was not happy at all because it was Ultimecia he was after, and they were wasting time by dawdling around like sitting Chocobos!

"Awesome!" Zell's enthusiastic voice broke both their thoughts, when he caught sight of a huge mechanical spider lying dormant amongst piles of metal and other bits and pieces. "Hey, kinda looks like. . ."

Yes, Squall knew what Zell was going to say. Déjà vu was occurring all over again. _X-ATM092,_ Squall thought. The great huge metallic monster that had chased Squall, Zell and Selphie during their efforts to get down to the beach, when an announcement was made that the ships would be leaving within thirty minutes - this was during their field exam in the town of Dollet - on the Galbadian continent. Seifer, who had not bothered to stick around and wait for them, high tailed it back to the beach before any of them, and so was fortunate enough not to fight the X-ATM092 monstrosity.

The mechanical creation had been relentless to let them escape and had ran after them even when they were all frantically running down the beach and towards the ships. In the end, Squall owed it all to Instructor Trepe, who from the ship had eliminated the mechanical spider in a flurry of rapid fired bullets. She, Zell, Selphie, Seifer and himself stared at the hunk of metal now that lay so peacefully, reminiscing on those memories. Squall was surprised he still remembered them. Although he had not used the Guardian Forces as frequently as he had thought he would, Squall however did feel that he would be calling upon the assistance of Quezacotl, Shiva and the rest of the other GF's they had acquired over time. All the memories of the past were very precious to him, to all of them. He hoped that those very memories would not be lost, because that was all he had to recall by.

Turning to face where Rinoa-Edea was self-contained, Squall drew out his gun-blade and hacked at the lock - it was not computerised. The glass confinement slid open easily, causing the body inside to fall forward, Squall catching the body of the person he loved, and another who had acted as a mother for him for a fair amount in his life. Holding her in his arms, Squall was about to tell his team to move out, when the sudden burst of alarm bells startled everyone and stopped him from speaking. No! The lock - it was connected to the alarm system! Of course anyone with the key would have avoided triggering it.

Amid the frenzy of the unbearable ringing noise, a cool female voice began speaking in monotonous tones - the source coming from a number of fitted speakers in the laboratory. Each word was pronounced clearly and concisely, that none of the SeeDs made no mistake in doubting what had been said.

__

The self auto-destruct mechanism has been activated. Please evacuate immediately using the emergency exits, or process deactivation. You have five minutes. The self auto-destruct mechanism has been activated...

Ah, shit! Squall's thoughts whizzed inside his mind. They had five minutes to get the hell out of the research facility or else be totally obliterated to thousand pieces and be blown up into the ozone.

"Grab Rinoa- Edea, ah just grab her and let's get outta here!" Irvine shouted over the deafening sound of the alarm that seemed to increase in volume each time.

"Guys, wait! It said we could deactiv-" Zell shouted before being yanked away from the computer panels by Quistis.

"Zell, we don't have _time_," Quistis said, the expression on her face betrayed her usual cool exterior.

"But if I can find the computer that handles the self-destruct mechanism-"

"Argh! Forget about deactivating it, let's go!" Selphie wailed. "C'mon we only got-"

__

Three minutes - the speakers prompted her.

"Go, go, GO!!" Irvine yelled, raising his voice in panic. "I'm not gonna die like this!"

"Irvine, didn't think you had it in you to disclose your coolness," Seifer commented. Whilst there was pandemonium wreaking everywhere, he still couldn't help provide a little light humour to the situation.

"Can't disappoint all the ladies, can I now?" Irvine said with a smirk and tugged at his cowboy hat.

"Uh, I think we have a problem," Selphie's flat voice said, upon reaching the door.

"Problem?? We don't have _time_ for a problem!" Zell said hopping madly about.

"The - the doors locked. Guys, we're sealed in!" Selphie said, her green eyes widening in fear and fright.

__

Three minutes twenty seconds.

The clank of metal distracted the six of them for only a brief moment. The clank was followed with a distinct sound that could only be made by a mechanical or robotic object.

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Zell asked refusing to turn around to find whether his assumption was correct or not.

However Seifer did not hesitate and spun round with a deep frown on his face. They were locked deep inside the research facility and were going to be blown up. Nothing more worse could happen, could it?

"Oh. . . _SHIT_!!!!!" Seifer cursed loudly, watching what used to be a dormant X-ATM092 come to life. The mechanical beast flexed its metal claws in a menacing manner before taking any real notice of the pensive humans at the front entrance. "Hands up for those who wanna fight that thing?" No raise of hands. "Just between you guys and me, I'd rather be blasted up in the sky, than be annihilated by the robo-spider." Hurling an Ultima spell on the sealed door, Seifer grinned at Selphie and Quistis. "Hey, ladies first."

"I'll rev up the Ragnorak!" Selphie said running on ahead. Quistis however shook her head and took a step back.

"No," she said. "All of you, go ahead of me."

"Instructor!!" they all objected.

"Instructor - Quistis, don't-" Squall said, from the corner of his eye he could see the red lights on the mechanical spider flick on.

"Squall, all of you, don't - don't make me angry," Quistis said her voice shaking as she spoke, but her blue eyes blazing.

"Just do as I say and get onto the ship." She instructed.

__

Two minutes fifty seconds.

"Go. . . NOW!" nobody complained, Squall still carrying the body in his arms stared at her, his own blue eyes wavering.

"Squall, please," Quistis begged.

"C'mon Squall," Zell said urgently from the door. With one last glance, Squall and Zell left followed shortly by Irvine. Only she and Seifer remained behind in the laboratory with X-ATM092 and the blaring of the alarms. Quistis did not notice until Seifer spoke up.

"Seifer Almasy, what do you think you are doing?!" she demanded, hands on her hips but surprised at the same time.

"I'm nineteen Quistis, not seven," Seifer said lazily. "You think you can beat X-ATM092 all by yourself? I don't think Squall would like his instructor blown to pieces, or any of the others?"

Fighting her tangled up emotions, Quistis grimaced in anger and tightened her grip on her Save the Queen weapon. _What are you doing Quistis?! Look at you! Do you think risking your life for the ones you love will prove anything, will do anything for you?!_ Hanging her head in submission, Quistis let a solitary tear slip down the side of her cheek and onto the floor. It did not escape unnoticed, and for once Seifer was unsure on what he should say.

__

Express my sympathy for her?! Oh geez, nobody has died in her life! Put an arm around her shoulder? Dammit, we don't have time for this!! Seifer thought angrily. Giving her a side glance, Seifer opened his mouth to say a few words to make her feel better - but that was before he saw the large metal claw raise above her, rushing down to crush her to a pulp.

"Instructor!" Seifer yelled lunging forward to tackle her to the ground and out of harms way.

"Seifer, what on earth are your trying to do?!" Quistis said angrily, pushing his body to one side, her eyes glittering in rage,

__

2 minutes 15 seconds

"Saving you from being Spidey mash," Seifer indicated at the large claw, which had created a large indent on the concrete floor. The mechanical beast was having a hard time pulling its metal limb out, Seifer took the opportunity to haul Quistis back onto her feet and tug her towards the only exit in the laboratory.

"Let go of me!!" Quistis shouted, shoving Seifer away from her. She did not have the GF Quezacotl, but she did have the spells Thundaga, Ultima and Meteor all stocked up to their maximum capacity of 100, for such an occasion as this.

Hurling all the spells that she had at the struggling beast, Quistis put all her years of experience as a SeeD and teacher to this one foe. Seifer watched her with disbelief - he had never known Quistis to act like a manic, it was a totally different side to her, he had never seen before. Loose from its hold, X-ATM092 used its in-built tracking device, and targeted its attacks on the sole person its inhuman eyes were trained on: Quistis. Seifer read the signs, and just when Quistis was about to throw another wave of magic spells at it, he held onto her raised arm, fast.

"No, no, NO!!" he said. "Leave it Quistis, you're out of your own league."

"I wouldn't be if you helped!" Quistis retorted.

"If it's an argument you want, we can do that later. Right now we'd better. . ."

__

There are 60 seconds remaining before the self-destruct mechanism is activated. 60 seconds. . . 

"Yes?" she said impatiently.

"RUN!!"

Clutching the sides of the arm rests; Selphie squirmed in the pilot seat of the Ragnorak. "Ooh, where are they?!"

"They'll come," Irvine said.

"Try saying that with a bit more confidence," Zell said sarcastically, pacing back and forth on the bridge of the Ragnorak. "Man, they have about a minute left to get outta there."

"Yeah, what about take off? We'll get caught in the blast," Irvine pointed out.

"We'll all make it," Selphie said.

Somehow not everybody was convinced. Squall gazed worryingly outside the window of the ship, praying that the movement of two figures running madly outside of the research facility would soon appear.

It was a trap. A trap devised by a cleverly, but no doubt insane doctor, who's plans and tendencies stilled remained unclear. Odine had tried to kill then all, knowing that they would come after the Forest Owl leader and Orphanage owner. His plans will not succeed, Squall vowed to himself_. I'll kill that man if Instructor Trepe dies, and. . . Seifer?_ Squall did not know about Seifer. Where had Seifer gone to anyway, he was meant to be following behind Irvine? All the time they had been through - since they had re-met at Timber - Seifer had become a handy ally. . . almost a friend. Was Seifer's motives true, to seek revenge against Ultimecia? Squall could not answer that, nor did he have the answer to it. Only Seifer knew the answer to that question, but would he live, wherever he had disappeared to, to say it to Squall's face? Perhaps. Right now the time was ticking seconds away for Quistis and Seifer, and all hope that they would make it out on time began to dwindle.


	6. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

Resurrection - part eleven

Chapter Eleven - A Close Shave [part two]

****

"Hurry Instructor!" Seifer urged, still holding her by the hand as they continued to run blindly in the dark hallways, their every step pounding against the cold, hard floor like a hammer to the heart.

"Wait, slow down Seifer. . ." Quistis said breathless from their run.

"No, we can't stop. We can't. . . ah hell, that thing's still after us?!" he said, half in agitation and half complaint.

"Aura," Quistis said to him, her voice hoarse from the running.

"Aura? No, Quistis we-"

"Degenerator might work,"

__

45 seconds remaining

It'll take at least fifteen seconds at least to charge up, fifteen seconds we're not gonna have if we don't move now, fifteen seconds we can't afford to waste. Confused and perplexed, Seifer regrettably cast aura on the girl and saw the yellow-orange colours engulf her. X-ATM092 soon came into view, it's strange fixed gaze visible in the dark. _That thing is something else_, Seifer thought casting a triple dose of Ultima magic that sent the eerie eyes a few metres back, the metallic monster crashing against the side walls as it fell back.

To his own surprise, Quistis had not selected the Degenerator attack. Instead, the crack of a flurry of bullets filled Seifer's ears as they pummelled home, into the body of the crawling beast: Gatling Gun. X-ATM092 crashed further backwards, only when the flicker of the red lights that served as its eyes, disappear did Seifer once more grab Quistis' arm and run like crazy in the direction of sunlight, away from the nightmarish hellhole.

__

You have 30 seconds remaining.

"See them?" Selphie asked anxiously.

"No," Zell said miserably, slumping in his seat.

__

Come on Quistis, Squall silently pleases. _Appear now._

"Hey, wait!" Zell said. "Oh, no it was nuthin'"

"Grr, what did she go and do that for?! Taking that chance, it's suicide!" Irvine exclaimed, taking his hat off to fan his face. All of a sudden the atmosphere in the bridge had become very tense.

"They're doomed!" Zell wailed.

"Don't say that!" Selphie snapped her face frightened.

"They're not gonna get out safely now, are they?!" Zell stormed.

"Arguing amongst ourselves is not going to help," Squall spoke in a struggled calm tone.

"Squall, I'm being realistic. They've got 20 seconds to get outta there. _We_ need to get outside the radius of the blasting zone. No matter how fast the Ragnorak goes, we're gonna get caught in it if we don't get the ship up in the air and outta the way within. . . five seconds." Zell said.

__

We're not going to make it, Quistis thought running as fast as her legs could. _I should have listened, should have realised. Now it's too late._ Rounding up a corner, a glimmer of hope shone for the two of them. Taking on a burst of speed, Seifer ran like he had never ran before, hearing the speakers announce that there were 12 seconds remaining. Hurtling themselves into the sunlight, Quistis caught sight of the Ragnorak taking off.

__

11

"Wait!" she cried out, waving her arms madly above her head to catch their attention on the ship.

"Selphie, hold up!" Zell said, spotting the pink of Quistis' clothing and the blood red of the cross-sword on Seifer's coat. "They're here, they're coming."

__

10

"Faster, faster!" They've got to move _faster_!" Irvine said. "Selphie, get the ship up,"

"Man, they're coming! Just wait!" Zell said pushing Irvine roughly by the shoulder. "The hell are you trying to do Irvine, you wanna leave them there?"

"_We're_ gonna get killed Zell if _we_ don't get moving," Irvine bit back.

"Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!!" Selphie shouted to them. "Where's Squall, where did he go?"

Down below, Squall had ran to the hanger and slammed his palm against the emergency latch. The ramp opened and extended just as the Ragnorak began to slowly lift up into the air. Flinging rope down, he saw Seifer and Quistis.

__

9

"Here, grab on!" he yelled over the thrum of the Ragnorak's engine. Throwing himself forward, Seifer reached to grab hold of the end of the rope.

"Quistis!" Seifer called to her. Without warning the Ragnorak ascended further up into the air and feet or so.

__

8

"Seifer!" Quistis screamed her arms outstretched to take hold of his. "Don't leave me!"

"I won't. Squall, lower the rope a bit!" Seifer yelled to the other boy. "Quistis, grab my hand!"

"I can't reach!" she said, her voice frantic. _7, 6. . ._

In a last act of desperation, the blond boy entwined the end rope around his ankles, leaving him suspended - upside down, his trench coat upturned and thrashing wildly about in the wind created by the take off of the ship. His hands found and held onto hers just when the Ragnorak was properly clear and lifted from the research facility's heliport, and racing away as fast it could, the lives of six young people depending on it.

The calm female voice only fell to the vast emptiness of the deep-sea research facility and to those of inhuman ears. One by one, the red eyes of X-ATM092 flicked on back to life, the mechanical beast oblivious to the fact that in five seconds it would be nothing more than a pile of useless metal junk, soaring endlessly up into the stratosphere and into orbit.

__

You have five seconds, four, three, two, one. Activation of the self-destruct mechanism, now.

A circuit that ran the whole depth and width of the research facility connected to the triggering system. With a clap that could have easily been mistaken of the sound of heavy thunder rumbling, and in an earth-shattering wave of tremors and sound, the deep sea research facility exploded.

Simultaneously other devices went off; computer panels in the deserted laboratory of Doc. Odine and security locks. The huge glass casement cracked into a million pieces - shards of glass flying haphazardly all over the place. Rock and concrete crumbled into dust, the floors giving way coupled by large fireballs rising high up into the air. X-ATM092 did not feel the slow tremor that gradually developed, and neither did it feel its self be decapitated at the head, and it's body convulse and erupt in the forceful blow. It's limbs separated from the rest of its body flailed helplessly as a surge of energy sent it and the remnants of the research facility shooting into the serene, early afternoon blue sky.

Chapter Twelve - Cold Fury

****

The force of the explosion shook the Ragnorak in mid-air crazily. Meteor showers of metal, concrete and rock hailed down upon the ship causing it to rock from side to side, and to lose a foot in altitude. All this happened while Seifer still hung in his upside down position _whilst_ clinging to Quistis who was dangling from outside the ship, with both hands. He did not know how long he would be able to maintain his hold onto her; one thing was for sure, Seifer knew she was slipping from his grasp. _At least we're not dead_ Seifer consolidated to himself,_ better situation than being blown to bits._

Squall had attempted to haul Seifer and Quistis back on board but then decided against the idea when the rope that was wrapped around Seifer's ankles began to loosen. "Tell Selphie to land somewhere, anywhere. Just make it quick!" Seifer said to him. Rogering that, Squall left to return to the bridge, leaving Quistis and Seifer stranded for the time being. "So. . . how're you holding up?" he asked the girl who gently swayed to and fro on the movement of the Ragnorak. 

"OK I guess, still shaken though," Quistis said, her face a few inches from his. "That was a close call back there, thank you, Seifer."

"Wait till the ship lands, then you can commemorate me for my heroic deeds. What's this Quistis, you've suddenly seen me in a new light?" he said, a sly grin on his face. Blushing, the comment broke a smile to Quistis' lips, making her relax a little.

Directly north to the deep sea research facility - or what used to be a research facility - was a long tipped island notorious for the high levelled monsters that inhibited it, and of course high levelled magic. Ensuring that at least someone had junctioned Enc-none to himself or herself to avoid unwanted attacks, Selphie landed the Ragnorak on the Island Closest to Hell. There, Squall and the team had time to recharge their batteries and get over the eventful experience - one nobody was likely to forget too soon, or either experience again!

While Irvine, Zell and Selphie left the ship to stock up on Ultima, Meteor and other "forbidden" magic, Squall remained behind to ensure Quistis was recuperating and was feeling well. Seifer was nowhere to be found, probably lurking on board the ship somewhere.

"Squall, I've never known you to fuss like this before. Usually it is me worrying over my students," she said, resting on a chair. "Do I sense a role reversal?"

"I worry about my instructor like everyone else does," Squall said modestly, catching Quistis by surprise. "A year ago, I was more distant and gave you the cold shoulder quite often. I then realised that you were only watching out for me."

"Yes, I do worry over you, Squall," Quistis said softly. "I may be a year older than you, but your maturity as a person and as commander does little justice to your age. You are the youngest out of all of us! I took notice of how you changed when Ellone was taken away from the Orphanage to live with Raine at Winhill. I was afraid of how quiet and subdued you had become, and it carried right on Squall, it carried right until you were seventeen. You depended on Ellone so much, and then Rinoa changed all of that." she paused for a moment, a deep feeling within her told her that she was going to crack if she didn't calm herself down. Too much emotion was welling up inside her. "You really love her, don't you?"

Squall nodded unable to meet her gaze. Deep inside, Quistis yearned for the sort of love Squall felt for General Caraway's daughter. Like all of them, she was an orphan at birth and never really experienced what it felt like to be loved. Zell still had his foster parents at Balamb Squall had Rinoa. Selphie and Irvine, they were genuinely happy people, did they really need that sort of love? If anything, they had the unconditional love of their closest friends. Certainly everyone needed love and to feel what is was like to be loved, it was what fuelled a person's heart, their desires, their dreams. Without it, a person would become heartless and cruel. _Just like Ultimecia_, Quistis crudely thought.

She once had thought she had found love in Squall. She and him were obviously not meant to be - once Squall laid his eyes on Rinoa at the night of the graduation ball. He was intrigued by her beauty and her spirited nature - love at first sight? - Nah, that wasn't it. Squall at one point wanted to 'screw Rinoa' during the Galbadian attack on Balamb Garden, when she was left hanging helplessly by the skin of her teeth. He did admit though that her rescuing had annoyed him, but when you loved someone that much, you'd be willing enough to sacrifice your own life just to save theirs. No, his love for Rinoa gradually developed over time, and that was what made it special.

"No matter what, Squall," Quistis said resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'll always be there for you. We all will be there for you, we're here for each other, till the end."

"You, Zell and the others have known me literally from the start of my life. You were always the bossy one out of all of us." Squall said, smiling faintly. "Although me and Ellone use to be close, the many years apart changed all of that. Quistis, you're like an older sister to me. Selphie a sister, Zell and Irvine, brothers. Geez, Zell as a brother?! Somehow I find that hard to believe,"

"What about Seifer?"

"Yeah, what _about_ Seifer?" the very person whom Quistis had mentioned stood at the doorway, his blond hair in place after being slightly ruffled. His sudden appearance was unexpected. Giving Quistis a hug, Squall whispered in her ear, "If I ever told Zell to try and imagine Seifer as his brother, he'd go suicidal." With that, Squall left the room giving Seifer a curt nod and a cool smile on his way out. Quistis found it hard to smother a laugh.

Narrowing his eyes, Seifer sat opposite the girl, his right foot resting on his left leg, and his elbows on the chair back - sitting down - Seifer style. He did not say anything and continued to stare back at her in an almost patronising way.

"So, Seifer," Quistis said uncertainly, her hands clasped together on her knees. "Has the blood stopped rushing to your head yet?"

"Yeah, kind of," he said, breaking eye contact to stare outside the window behind Quistis. "I take it you're feeling better now, Instructor?"

"Fine, Seifer, thanks to you," Quistis said. "But it was a very stupid thing to do," she added on a serious note.

"Oh, I get it, stroke my ego and then burst my bubble," he said tilting his head back and laughing.

"Well. . . yes. But really Seifer, and I do mean it, it was a dangerous thing to do. You jeopardised two lives," she said, altering her tone of voice that sounded too grave for Seifer's own liking.

"Show some gratitude, Instructor Trepe,"

"I'm in debt to you, Seifer. It is nice to see that you care. It is not as if I do not appreciate what you have done for me. It was a dangerous thing to do, you were taking a risk." Quistis clarified. _I seem to have offended him._

This comment he shrugged off. _Care? Do I, Seifer, care? Danger? I laugh at the face of danger! Risk? Risk teaches us what we love. . ._ "It was nothing. We need someone to enforce order amongst ourselves," he smirked.

__

We? Quistis wondered. Was Seifer getting the impression that he was being re-accepted into the folds of the Garden community? He may have saved a SeeD's life and had begun to establish an understanding between the commander, but that did not mean other students at Garden would be willing to accept him. Was rescuing Quistis a good enough reason to recompense the misery he had brought to people's lives? _Ultimecia is ultimately to blame, remember that too Quistis. Seifer was _used_, a pawn, an accessory to Ultimecia's crime_.

The event of last year affected the lives of the entire world - SeeD's and individuals alike. Some would say that it was Ultimecia who was truly to blame - her powers of persuasion and manipulation. And then there was some that targeted Seifer. He was only a teenager still; people seemed to forget that, a confused teenager. Sure he was headstrong and refused to follow orders - but that was normal, conventional Seifer wasn't it? Quistis could see a change occurring in the blond haired boy.

"Are we seeing a different side to you, Seifer?" Quistis asked slyly.

"In other words, am I changing?" Seifer said. "Nope, this is who I am: Seifer Almasy. I intend to stay that way."

"You still haven't explained yourself,"

"What's there to explain?" he asked.

"Staying behind when everyone else had gone back to the ship," Quistis reminded him. "Why did you stay?"

Sensing what she was driving at, it was on the tip of Seifer's tongue to tell her not to flatter herself, then he stopped himself short and replaced it with a casual shrug. "Fighting instincts. Pay back for ditching the other guys on the Dollet mission and letting them fight X-AMT092 by themselves," he said.

"And you think that if you had been there at the time, there would have been no need to call upon the heavy artillery?" Quistis guessed.

"Yep," Seifer said simply. He did not want to admit it, but he had respect for the girl dressed in the sleeveless pink vest that exposed her navel. He stared at the exposed flesh for a while, all sorts of thoughts drifting in and out of his mind, some pensive and some lurid. _Quit it, Seifer, _he warned himself._ Stop drooling over her like some sicko. She's your instructor, well ex-instructor. _And _she's the same age as me. _Seifer reminded himself. Quistis was indeed the same age as he was. The two months age difference, she being born on October 14th and he on December 22nd - was what separated them in personality and character. Quistis was obviously the maturest one - it came from being an instructor - maturity was needed for such a responsibility.

Seifer, in many odd ways was mature. It was at times when the situation required you to be serious, that he quit the childish side of him. Right now the word lust circled around his mind. Seeing Quistis and her exposed navel also reminded him that he was a teenager that had no control over his raging hormones. And they were taking effect too; he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

Ooh, Seifer has a crush on Quistis, a voice inside his mind like a taunt said. Zell? _Shut the hell up Dincht! _Did Seifer _love _her? No, love was such a harsh word - such a strong word to use. Seifer did not love he lusted. The word 'lust' brought a grin to his face. Lust was such a good word to use, it rolled so nicely on the tongue when said. Although Seifer could not say he 'loved' the older girl, he was though attracted to her. Many students were attracted to her. Who could resist her sapphire blue eyes and fair complexion, and the way the front strands of her hair fell sexily down to the sides of her face.

__

That's it, Seifer. You've lost it. You're hormones are screwing your brain and wanna get it on with your damn teacher! Sighing again, Quistis leaned backwards on her chair and closed her eyes, shutting the world around her. Her decision to stay and defeat X-ATM092 had been a foolish and reckless one. Why had she done it? To impress? No, Quistis did not need to do that. She had become an instructor at a young age, that was enough. People in Garden were already impressed by her fighting skills and talent, her only weakness being, worrying over trivial matters, and being a failure?? She also had a group of wanna-be's and devoted followers: Trepies - to boot too!

Seifer continued to watch her even when she had closed her eyes. Her face looked nearly. . . serene. When those sapphire eyes opened again, he guiltily diverted his gaze and began to tap his foot.

"Do you ever fret?" she said suddenly, gazing into the deep sea that was his blue eyes.

"About what?" he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"About the Guardian Forces robbing us of our memories,"

"Can't be helped," Seifer said. "We depend on them too much to disregard them especially if we fight bosses."

Quistis nodded sadly, "It is just that my childhood memories of living at Orphanage, by the sea and with Matron. They were the only spark of happiness in my life." She said.

"You're not happy then,"

"Well. . . yes of course I am," she lied weakly. _I have my friends don't I? So long as I have my 'brothers and sisters' around me, then I'm happy. . ._

"Right," came the flat response. "That's why the long face."

"You certainly don't know me well as you think," Quistis said wryly. "I'm prone to worry over trivial matters, resulting in me becoming upset unnecessarily."

"Is Squall listed as one of your 'trivial matters'?" Seifer asked quietly.

"You heard?!" her blue eyes snapping at his.

The blond boy shrugged, "They should make the metal doors thicker," he said.

"You stood outside and listened to our conversation?" Quistis said angrily. "How rude! We were confiding in each other, and you, you eavesdropped on us?!"

"Big deal,"

"Big deal?!" Quistis echoed angrily, she stood over him with glittering dangerous eyes. "That shows how much you have _not_ changed, and it also shows how untrustworthy you are!"

"You trusted me when I held onto you, suspended from a rope." He reminded her. "That takes trust doesn't it?"

"I-" she couldn't argue there. Quistis stood speechless for a moment, trying to find something to throw back at him. She wasn't succeeding. She _had_ placed her life into his hands, and _had_ trusted Seifer with it. She couldn't say that to him, give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Doesn't it?" he repeated, standing also, his 6' 5" height towering over her own in a foreboding manner. "What's wrong Quistis, cat got your tongue?"

"I'm, I'm not answering your question," she said defiantly, avoiding any eye contact.

"Because you know that your mouth will betray your heart," he said softly.

Blushing furiously, Quistis turned her back to him, arms folded across her chest angrily. She knew that Seifer was right. It was ludicrous really - impossibly, unthinkable! _She_ like _him??_ If any of the others found out her thoughts, they would laugh themselves to insanity. She knew how Zell and Irvine would react. Squall, Quistis was not so sure about.

Seifer was closer to her age than anyone else of the group. She, being the eldest of the bunch and Squall, the youngest. It was not Seifer's age that appealed to her. It was his charm and rakish good looks. Charm. . . it always came down to his damn charm!! Despite being arrogant and the one to _cause_ trouble, Seifer still had that charm that always got him out of trouble. Also, Seifer had a crude sense of humour that Quistis couldn't resist.

__

'Good luck, Seifer," she had said to him before embarking upon the Dollet mission.

'Luck?! Say that to someone who'll need it,' Seifer had said.

'Good luck Seifer.' Quistis repeated. Replaying that moment in her mind again and again brought a smile to her lips.

The gentle touch of his gloved hand on her arms yanked her from her reverie, and back to reality. She remained rooted to the spot. She did not want that hand to go away, and neither did she want the moment to end. Lowering his blond head, Seifer whispered to her ear.

"It's OK, Instructor," he said. "I won't tell anyone that you fancy me,"

Whirling round in an act of fury, Quistis raised her own gloved hand, striking the boy right across the face. "Seifer," she said coldly, watching him rubbing his left cheek - the one that she had slapped. "Don't flatter yourself,"


	7. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

Resurrection - part fifteen

Chapter Fifteen - Flying Antics

****

"Co-ordinates, Zell!" Selphie hollered from her position in the pilot seat.

"Erk, co-ordinations are a bit cranky, Selphie," Zell returned, banging the device against a metal panel. "Damn tracer. Stupid! It's died on me!"

"Way to go Dincht," Seifer cheered from his seat.

"Shuddup Almasy. I don't see you doing much!" Zell snapped. "Ha! Got it back!" he said triumphantly. "Hey Selphie, it's north-east of the Centra Ruins."

"Got it!" the auburn headed girl confirmed, locking onto the location. "Approximate arrival 10-15 minutes."

"What mode are you on, cruise speed?" Seifer inquired from the back of the bridge. "By the time we arrive, Odine would have compressed our world, and that's bye, bye to us."

"Full speed ahead BABY!"

"Sometimes I wonder about Zell. Those hotdogs have a remarkable effect on him." Quistis said thoughtfully.

"Hyperactive is the word you're looking for, Instructor," Seifer supplied.

"His motto: keep on moving and don't stop." Irvine commented.

"Heheh, one day he'll keep on moving until he collapses like a seriously whacked out Chocobos that's been trekking too far." Seifer snickered.

"I am so gonna kick you're sorry ass, from here to the next galaxy!" Zell stormed, his Ehrgiez gloves raised ready to punch Seifer in the face.

"Ooh, might wanna stock up on those hotdogs, Dincht. For one thing you're gonna need all the energy-"

"Only 'cos you're sooo fat! Your ass is so fat you take two seats up, I bet I couldn't even do my Meteor Barrett move on you 'cos you weigh as much as an Iron Giant!"

"Go Zell!" Irvine cheered.

"Shut up, cow boy!" Seifer snarled, pushing Zell to one side. "Or I'll kick your sorry ass outta this world and into the cosmos!"

"Yeah, well you just try beatin' a bullet to the brain from my Exeter. Let's see if a phoenix down brings you back to life or not, loser."

"Loser?" Seifer echoed. "I'm looking at one. Two even. Try flirting with a Moomba and it'd run like hell, quick time."

"Urgh! Irvine's gay?!" Selphie squealed from her seat up front.

"Man, you're dodgy. That's why you were looking me up at Balamb!" Zell said horrified.

"Stupid, _bastard_!!" Irvine yelled, drawing his weapon out and ready to fire at Seifer's grinning face. "I'm not _gay_! Who said a Moomba was a guy anyway?!"

"Moomba's are from the people of the Shumi village, isn't it?" Quistis said. From what she recalled from her last visit to the Shumi Village which was deep underground, depending on whether a person of the Shumi tribe had served well in his life, he changed into a Moomba to further assist in people's lives. "I assumed that those from the Shumi tribe were all male. I saw no females."

"I'm _not_ gay!" Irvine insisted the barrel if his Exeter pressing against the temple of Seifer. "You ass-hole! Look what'cha gone and done!"

Seifer shrugged and continued to grin. "Oops, my bad," he said chuckling from the thought.

"He's only winding you up, Irvine," Quistis said, coming towards to the cowboy to pry his weapon off his hands. "Just ignore him,"

"Awwe, Irvie can't take a joke?" Seifer taunted.

"OK Seifer, that's enough," Quistis instructed, smiling despite herself.

"Hey, Squall disappeared _again_?" said Zell whipping his head round from side to side trying to find a glimpse of their commander.

"I don't think he's had enough time to be on his own," Quistis spoke. "I've deliberately tried to interrupt his trail of thoughts, only to stop him from thinking about Rinoa. If he does that, he'll tear himself apart."

"He shouldn't worry. We're gonna kick Odine's ass anyway. We'll save Rinoa and Matron. Never fear, the SeeDs are here!!" Zell said a little on the loud side.

"Did someone deafen you as a child? Don't think you realise what a big mouth you've got." Seifer said. "A big mouth for your beloved hotdogs, as well as your voice." He added in a lower tone.

"Selphie, how are you doing for time?" Irvine asked the girl up front.

"What month is it?" Quistis suddenly spoke up, changing the subject that all of the male members of the team, minus Squall looked at her with blank faces. "Come on. What month is it?" she repeated.

"Oh, _month!_" Zell said, finally understanding what was being asked. "Sorry, uh, its August isn't it?"

"August? Yeah, yeah, it's August," Irvine nodded. "Why do you ask, Quistis?"

The 19-year-old girl shook her head, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "There's a date in this month that's important. I, I was just trying to remember what it was, that's all... oh what can it be?"

"Squally's birthday?" Seifer asked a midst the brief silence.

"_That's_ it!" Quistis exclaimed and clapped her hands in delight. "Yes, Squall's birthday!"

"It's on the twenty-third, isn't it?" as far as Zell could recall. "Heey, how comes you even remember?"

Seifer smiled smugly. "I remember many things my dear friend," he stated. "I bet you'd be surprised if I told you that I know yours too."

"No not really," Zell replied flatly. "I'd be worried and scared. Knowing you, you'd probably pull a prank with Raijin and Fujin."

"True," Seifer conceded. "In fact, I know _all_ of your birthdays." He said.

"When's mine then?" Zell challenged.

"March the seventeenth," Seifer answered easily.

"Oh,"

"Instructor Quistis' is on October the fourth, messenger girl over at the pilot seat over there is on July the sixteenth. And cowboy... and... cowboy's..." there the blond haired boy's voice trailed off.

"Hah! You thought you knew mine, huh?" Irvine said smirking.

"That's 'cos you're too a minor insignificant person to remember," Seifer said. "Heheh, just kidding. Of course I know yours, cowboy. It's on November the twenty-fourth."

"Damn! That _is_ worrying!" Irvine muttered and tilting his cowboy forward.

"And I know his," Zell said. "December the twenty-second."

"Awe, chicken wuss. You remembered! Going to get me something?" Seifer sniggered.

"You wish," Zell retorted. "My Gil isn't worth spending on you." Score for Z-E-L-L!! He was definitely getting good at back chatting!

"I ask because may be we should arrange a surprise birthday party for him," Quistis suggested.

"Awesome idea!!" Zell enthused. "Yeah, we could use the ball room to hold it in."

"Doesn't Squall hate surprises?" Irvine asked.

"Uh, I don't think Squall kindly takes to surprises," Quistis now said, recalling what everyone knew about the youngest SeeD of the team.

"To hell with that! He's a party pooper, anyway," Zell said. "It's for him, so he should be grateful."

"I'm sure he-" Irvine began, only to be silenced by a nudge in the ribs from Quistis. The bridge door opened, and in stepped Squall. All stared after him guiltily as he slowly stepped in, his face showing curiosity and intrigued.

"What?" Squall said, glancing from one face to another. "What's up with you guys?"

"We're just happy to see you Squall," said Selphie.

"Right..." said Squall flatly. "That's why Zell has a look on his face like a cat who swallowed a canary."

"Ah, you're hopeless!" Seifer griped.

"Shut the hell up, man!!" Zell snapped. "Have a go at Irvine, why always me?!"

"'Cos you're easy target," Seifer replied.

"I'm surprised you two aren't best friends," Squall commented dryly.

"You serious?! Hell, I wouldn't be his best friend even if you gave me all the Gil in the world!" Zell declared.

"I'd offer _not_ to be his best friend, or not know him for free," Seifer said. "Hah! That's a joke. Squall, you takin' the piss? 'Cos if you are, then I'd say you've found your sense of humour."

Squall did nothing more but shrug and allowed himself a small smile. He did not allow himself to fret over Rinoa or Matron. They had beaten Ultimecia before; they could do it again. As for Odine the oddball the 'mad scientist'? Well, the SeeDs would find a suitable punishment for him. It was he who started all the grief in the first place.

"Soon approaching targeted location," Selphie announced.

"We've got to prepare ourselves and make sure we don't get caught out like the last time." Squall instructed. "We've got a total of sixteen Guardian Forces, not counting Odin/Gilgamesh, Phoenix or Boko. All of us are able to junction at least two each, then four of us can take a third."

"I'll take Shiva and Siren," Quistis said raising a hand.

"Brothers and Carbuncle are mine!" Selphie asserted.

"Let me take Leviathan and Cactuar," Irvine said.

"Cerberus and Diablos go with me!" said Zell.

"Fine, Quezacotl and Ifrit go with me," Squall said. "What about you Seifer?"

"Don't care. Ah, jus' gimme Bahamut and Tonberry," he said.

"That just leaves Eden, Alexander, Doomtrain and Pandemona,"

"If anybody has no objections, I'll take Eden," Selphie said.

"Sure, Selphie, anybody else?" Squall asked.

"I'll take Alexander then," said Irvine.

"Doomtrain," Zell said.

"OK, I'll take Pandemona," Quistis said.

"Right, get junctioning. Zell, I want you have Recover on your abilities, OK?" Squall directed. "Uh, Selphie, have Item on you. Quistis and Irvine, make sure you are aptly supplied with aura magic. And Seifer-"

"Will Ultima, Meteor, Flare, Tornado, Full-life and Aura, do _commander_?" Seifer inquired archly.

"Er... yes, fine," Squall muttered. "Remember to watch your backs. I have a feeling Odine has some nasty trick in store for us."

"You're not alone on that, Squall," Quistis assured.

Everybody else nodded to second that thought.

Chapter Sixteen - Lost and Found

****

The weather was warm when they had disembarked the Ragnorak. A summer breeze ruffled their clothes and hair, like an intimate caress. What they were doing? What they were set to face felt like taking a stroll in the forest. Squall found it hard to believe that they were about to encounter their biggest threat to their world, yet again. _There's still time to wake up,_ Squall thought. _Still time to wake me from this ensuing nightmare, this horror. This is not happening._ Oh, but it was. It was as real as the solid earth beneath their feet, and the surrounding landscape around them. It was so real that Squall knew that he was deliberately deluding himself. _At least I tried_; he joked but failed to produce a hint of a smile.

Seifer stood aside from the dark haired boy, taking in the air that filled his lungs - the sensation exhilarating. He glanced up at the azure blue sky and noted a throng of grey coloured clouds set to pass over in the distance. Dismissing the thick shrouds that was sure to bring rain and possibly a storm along with it; Seifer focused his active mind on the task. His gunblade held in one hand, Seifer itched to use his weapon, it had been a very long time since he last used it. He wanted to feel the power surge through his arm, past his wrist and then finally burst forth with a mass of energy when he would deliver the killing blow. He wanted to feel that power again, and grew weary as each passing minute slipped by.

Their problem being was actually _finding_ Lunatic Pandora. Everyone looked about them in puzzlement. There was no sign of the gigantic structure to be found within miles of where they were.

"Uh, Selphie, you sure you landed in the right place?" Zell inquired, scratching the back of his head.

"_You_ were the one who gave me the location, Zell. _You_ tell me where Lunatic Pandora is." The copper haired girl said, she herself regarding the surrounding with perplexity. Where was the thing? She followed Zell's orders, as he told her, so where was it?

"That's what I dunno!" Zell said making a face and waving his arms about the place. "All there is, is land, land, more land and that forest over there."

"Wait a second..." Quistis said, walking away from the group and towards the group.

"Hey Instructor!" Zell yelled. "Where you goin'?"

"Hang on a minute!" Instructor Trepe returned her voice faint as she jogged over towards the mass of trees, to the west of where the Ragnorak had landed.

"Ah, this is stupid!" Irvine grumbled. "Every time we get a lead, we're stopped by an obstacle."

"Over here!" Quistis' voice called out.

"You spoke too soon," Seifer grinned, patting the cowboy on the shoulder and trotting to where Quistis stood.

"What did you find?" Squall asked striving to get his breathing back in order and the beat of his heart to a steady pace.

"Our missing edifice," Quistis replied, guiding them through the labyrinth of vegetation and leaves and into a large clearing to where the astray Lunatic Pandora rested, after a year of absence.

"It was hidden in the forest," said Zell, eyeing the towering structure with awe and admiration. "No wonder we couldn't see it!"

"Now that we know where its been crashing out, why don't we go and take a look see...?" Seifer suggested, pointing the blade of his weapon purposefully towards Lunatic Pandora.

"Hold on a minute," Squall said. "Before we proceed any further, I want Zell and Selphie to go up front along with me and Irvine, Seifer and Quistis take back. I'm leaving Seifer in charge of the second group. Quistis, second any decisions that need to be made, or make your own suggestions when you deem in right to do so."

"Squall, you sure 'bout this?" Zell asked him, jerking a head at where Seifer stood.

"In order successfully carry out our mission, trust is needed. I, as commander need to be able to trust every member of the team, to assure myself that in the heat of battle, I can trust any of you to see things through till the end. Giving Seifer the responsibility will test his aptness to lead a small group."

"His _aptness_ to lead has already been tested, hasn't it?" Irvine asked. "He's led a _whole_ fleet of Galbadian soldiers, hasn't he?"

The blond boy took this with recoil; his body tensing and his teeth gritted together. _Thank you cowboy that was one thing I did _not _want to be reminded about_. "I _am_ still here," Seifer pointed out coldly.

Irvine turned to face him and did a shrug; "Frankly I don't know what you're still doing here. And I don't see how any of you, especially you Squall, could forgive _him_, Ultimecia's lapdog."

"Irvine!" Quistis said sharply, casting an apologetic look to Seifer on his behalf. "We're not here to discuss about Seifer's past."

All the cowboy did was shrug yet again, and cross his arms across his chest. "Whoever said the truth was a pretty thing to behold."

"Awe, just shut up man!" Zell snapped at him. "You talk a lot of BS anyway, must've been from listening to all those Galbadian losers in your Garden."

"Bullshit that happens to be the truth," said Irvine bluntly. "Hey, and don't start on Galbadia OK, kung fu boy. You have something to say about my Garden, you come and say it right to my face, and prepare for a fight."

"You wanna a fight, you got one," Zell stated, taking a step forward and broadening his chest. Although Irvine was seven inches taller than the 5'5" incredible martial artist, Zell however did not let this trivial thing get the best of him - he had fought a giant T-Rexuar with no problems, Irvine was nothing compared to this.

"Quistis is right, we're not here to discuss and evict Seifer of the wrongful doings he has committed in the past. We're here to get a job done." Squall said.

"Fancy hearing that from you, Squall." said Irvine, his steady eyes fixed on the commander. "Everyday you get up, and you look in the mirror. You see that scar of yours on your forehead, and realise who put that there."

"Irvine, if you have any qualms or problems, you discuss it with _me_. For now, all those problems are to be put aside until we liberate this world of its threat."

"We sort this out _now_," Irvine stressed forcefully, the barrel of his Exeter digging into the soil of the forest ground.

All raised eyebrows that arched at a high point. To hear such emphatic words from a person that was never known to show the force and vigour found in Zell or Seifer was odd and surprising to hear.

"Irvine?" Selphie said uncertainly. "Irvine, is there-"

"_You,_ after a year of disappearance just reappear like Carbuncle does from a hole in the ground, and _expect_ us to pour our hearts out to you, to show our sympathy? You think by saying sorry, we would forget all that ever happened? The GF's may take those memories away, but by Ifrit will I still be able to remember all the suffering you caused."

"Irvine-" Quistis began pensively. She could see where this was going to lead, and did not want either of the young men to injure themselves when they were needed for the task at hand.

"Leave it instructor," Seifer said, holding up a hand to silence her. "If cowboy wants an explanation, I'll give him one. That is what you want, isn't it?" without waiting for a reply, Seifer proceeded, putting away his gunblade before doing so, lest he should break in an unintended vicious attack. "Where shall I begin? First of all, I'll let you know Kinneas, that your place and loyalties, as a SeeD do not belong with Balamb Garden. You were sent to assist in the assassination of the sorceress, what's the word you use? Sharp shooter, is it? I don't understand why _you_ are still at Balamb, when Headmaster Cid should have sent you back to where you rightfully belong."

"Let's leave that to Headmaster Cid's, eh?" Irvine suggested irritably.

"Fair enough. Now, are you quite comfortable? I warn you, my tale is a long one." Seifer mocked.

"Yeah, well don't give up your day-time job,"

"Don't say I didn't you warn you," Seifer said, raising his shoulders, and then letting them fall. "Oh, and can I add that because you were, a, hmm, how can I say it without being rude? A third wheel, you of all people do not know my background, what I am like, you know nothing about me at all. I bet you fought against me without understanding the full implications of what was going on!"

"_I_ fought for what was right. I fought against an evil that was _you_."

"That is where you are wrong, Irvine," Quistis spoke gently. "Seifer was not to blame, sorceress Ultimecia was."

"And now she's back to release hell back into the world!" Zell said. "C'mon! Forget the stupid story, man. We got some ass to kick!"

"We really don't have time for this!" Squall said impatiently. "We need to infiltrate Lunatic Pandora, locate where Odine is and stop him, before mayhem is released."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Irvine snapped. "Don't bitch about it. Geez, I didn't think I'd last for a minute listening to him waffling on and on anyway!"

"Never mind, Irvine," Seifer commiserated in a mocking tone. "I know you wanted to hear my tragic story so much. I'll tell you all about it someday."

"Don't bother," Irvine muttered, walking over to a tree and leaning against it, with the brim of his hat titled forward to hide his face.

"Right. Now that we've sorted things out, maybe we can get a move on?" Squall suggested. "GF's are junctioned, magic and abilities. OK, Zell and Selphie with me up front."

It did not help that Irvine was still brooding over Seifer, and it did not help that Seifer was to be in charge in the group Squall had Irvine in. Never the less, they had to press onwards and forget about the minor problems, because they had a major one to sort out first. Deigning not to speak to the blond boy, Irvine walked a little bit ahead of Seifer and Instructor Trepe, leaving the elder boy and girl slightly behind.

His gunblade out, Seifer focused his mind to the job at hand. He watched Irvine walking half a metre ahead of him, and trained his gaze at the back of his head. _Don't let your temper over take you,_ he warned himself. _He's not worth it_. Frowning, Seifer gripped the handle of his weapon tighter and set his lips to a grim line. He only began to notice that Quistis was walking beside him when her voice reached out to him, asking him a question.

"Seifer?" she asked. "Seifer, are you OK?"

"Fine, Instructor," he murmured. Why did he feel suddenly guilty being next to her? They had managed to develop a gap between the first group and Irvine, that their conversation was out of an earshot, except to those with prying ears. Walking silently next to her, with almost no one around, felt almost too intimate - Seifer could not figure out whether he wanted this, or not. One thing he was sure of, was that whatever he was feeling was happening at the wrong place and at the wrong time. "Thanks for speaking up for me,"

"What's this?!" Quistis said with a laugh. "You're Seifer! You don't need a girl to stick up for you! You can do that all by yourself!"

"Sometimes it's nice to know that someone trusts you when others don't," Seifer said quietly.

To this Quistis blushed slightly, but since it was quite dark with the tall trees blocking the sunlight, Seifer did not see her change in colour. "I only said what was the truth. Irvine- he, he doesn't understand. Nobody really does except for you. Just ignore the rebukes. By my standards, you're very good,"

"Oh?" Seifer inquired raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "Instructor, are you suggesting something?"

In response to that, Quistis batted the boy lightly on the shoulder and laughed. "You saved my life, remember."

"So, the slap in the face? You take that back?"

"Uh, no. You deserved it," she said solemnly.

"What if I ask real nice...?" he said, his voice trailing, leaving much to the imagination.

Alarm bells rang inside Quistis' mind. It was déjà vu of what happened - no, what _could_ have happened in the elevator back at Balamb, had the lift travelled a little more slowly. Was she going to allow this?

"Maybe-" she began, only to be cut off by the loud bawdy voices of Irvine and Zell who sang crudely in unison.

"Seifer and Quistis sittin' on the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! One for-"

"You shut the hell up, chicken and cowboy!" (Hey… Cow and Chicken), Seifer yelled back, creasing his brow half in anger and half in embarrassment. Quistis, he saw was trying very hard to control her laughter and tried to laugh himself, but was not used to being made a fool of. Instinctively he reached down at his right hip, only to be restrained by a gloved hand placed on top of his.

Quistis' eyes held his for a few moments too long, breaking the gaze with a batter of her eyelids. "Seifer, please," she said. "Leave it,"

And the funny thing was he listened to her. Seifer never listened to nobody, never took orders from anyone - he had listened to Instructor Trepe, what was it that made him listen now? Looking down at his boots, Seifer let his hand slip away from the butt of his gunblade, and with that went the gentle touch of Quistis' hand.

__

Getting drowned by your hormones again, Seifer taunted himself. That little reminder came like a bucket of ice cold water, to which he responded by taking a step back abruptly.

Quistis appeared to seem hurt at his sudden reaction and began to catch up with Irvine. Seifer sighed heavily and raked a hand through his already ruffled hair. This game he was playing with her was too much for him. One thing was for sure, they were getting nowhere but round and round in a constant eternal circle, and for another Seifer believed that something deep was stirring inside him, and it happened whenever he was with _her_ and _alone._

Zell smiled to himself like he usually did when a funny thought entered his mind. That was a fine joke he and Irvine played on Seifer - got him really worked up and pissed. Hands delved deep into the pockets of his blue denim shorts, Zell whistled quietly to himself as Squall led the way up to Lunatic Pandora. All that remained was that they find an entrance, a entrance that did not seem to exist at their level.

The only entrance they really knew was the one the Ragnorak had created, and that was somewhere up the top - no doubt Odine had the damage repaired, especially if he was using the giant structure as his secret hideout place. And Lunatic Pandora was convenient too! Squall and the crew remembered all too well what Ultimecia looked like - which was more than could be said for sorceress Adel - now that was one sorceress _nobody _wanted to see in their dreams, more like their nightmares. Ultimecia was a tall frame of pure evil beauty - wait that was _Ade_l! No, _Adel_ was a tall frame of pure evil, whilst Ultimecia was just a frame of pure feminine evil beauty - though a bit psychotic in the upper region.

It wasn't just Ultimecia who was the nut, everyone who was associated with her were nuts. Seifer had been a little mental, he didn't even knew why he hated SeeD and Garden - Ultimecia had warped his mind - filling his vulnerable mind with fantasies made of clouds. They never really existed, they only appeared to seem real, and then you reached out for them, they disappeared to nothingness.

Zell wondered about Ultimecia now. Would she be in the same form she was as they last fought her? Would she still be the cunning, manipulative sorceress everyone knew her to be? _One way to find out, _he told himself bluntly. Indeed, there was only one way, and that way was located through a ventilation shaft four feet above their heads. The air vent had hardly been noticeable since it blended quite well with the out exterior of the Lunatic Pandora itself.

Deciding upon who should go and have a look see, Squall motioned for Quistis and Selphie to come forward.

"Instructor, Selphie, I want you to go through the ventilation shaft and see where it leads to, if the path divides, choose a route each. If you run into any trouble, call and we'll come immediately." he instructed them.

"Hey, I don't mind going," Zell volunteered.

"Dincht, you're too fat!" Seifer stated bluntly, and gave a smug smile in his direction when Zell shot him a look.

"He's right," Squall agreed and saw the hurt look Zell threw at him. "Uh, not in that sense Zell. It's just that Quistis and Selphie, well, they are, um- they'll be easier to fit in the air vent, and quickly get back out again if they do come up against something." he explained.

"Irvine, I need a boost!" the spunky young girl piped. "Make it a good one!" and it would have to be if she was to successfully reach the level of the ventilation shaft, what with her 5" 1' height.

"No sweat!" Irvine assured, going down on one knee. "OK, your foot- the right one. OK, ready? One, two, three!" at the same time Selphie launched herself upwards, Irvine boosted her up with his hand that had been used as a step. Zooming straight up, Selphie had her MorningStar in one hand, and with that she used her weapon to smash open the ventilation shaft, with only seconds to grab onto the ledge before she would be plummeting back down. She dangled now with one hand, gave a cheery smile to those below, and did a thumbs up sign and then crawled in to make way for Quistis.

Instructor Trepe followed the height of Lunatic Pandora and bit her lower lip. She was unsure of the fact that she would be able to repeat what Selphie had just done. For one thing, she weighed a significant amount more heavier than Selphie - a stone heavier or so - but enough a difference to affect her ability to grab the ledge and fall to her doom. Squall, Zell, Irvine and Seifer saw the hesitation in her eyes, and they too hesitated for a moment. Seifer followed her gaze to where the shaft was located and made his mind up. Coming forward, Seifer took the girl by the elbow and steered her in the direction of the wall where the shaft was located.

"Seifer?!" she said in an exasperated tone.

"C'mon, I'll give you a boost up," he said. Behind him he heard the faint snickering of Irvine and Zell, and his temper rose a few degrees near boiling point. "Instructor,"

"I don't think-" she began uneasily.

"You'll reach, don't worry," Seifer assured.

"But I _am_ worried!" Quistis snapped, and then apologised. "Sorry," she muttered.

"You'll reach," he repeated. "You're taller than the messenger girl- I, uh I mean you're taller than Selphie, so that should compensate for your weight."

He had a point. Quistis _was_ taller - a good 5 inches! Setting her lips to a determined line, Quistis carefully set a knee-length boot clad leg onto Seifer's hands. Then, on her signal Quistis counted to three and pushed upwards together with the help of Seifer, and found herself breathless and exhilarated, clinging on to the ledge of the air vent.

Below, a whistle of approval from Zell and a cheer from Irvine greeted her ears, and she smiled. She wedged herself into the claustrophobic vent and stuck her head out again to receive the go-ahead signal from Squall. She watched Seifer dust his black gloves, and Zell and Irvine saying something which resulted in the blond boy launching an attack on the both of them. The two younger SeeDs broke into gales of laughter at Seifer's angry- angry? _Enraged_ face.

"Zell, that's enough!" she ordered before ducking in again.

"Me!!" the martial arts expert exploded. "Irvine was making the obscene jokes, geez!"

"Quit playing around!" Squall commanded from them and the bickering and laughing ceased with only the faint whisper of the wind ruffling the leaves on the forest trees. Silence made people uneasy.

Pricking up his ears, Squall listened intently for any sound of distress or a call from the girls to say that everything was OK. Three minutes, then five slipped by, and then Squall began to worry. It was at the tip of his tongue to say that they should move in when a shrill scream distorted the perfectness of the calm and serene surroundings. Squall and the others acted immediately.

"Zell, give me boost," he said. "I want you and Irvine to stay outside and keep watch, in case something happens," which Squall hoped would not. "Seifer, follow my lead,"

"Awe no!" Zell complained once he had helped push Squall up to the air vent. "I'm gonna have to give _you_ a boost?! Damn man! Irvine, come and help me out."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Seifer returned scathingly. What he did next, Zell and Irvine were not sure if they saw correctly. Taking a run, Seifer had performed a running jump, whilst in mid-air had done a tuck-and-roll forwards and at the last minute before he was supposed to slam against the exterior of Lunatic Pandora, unsheathed his gunblade and rammed it home. From there, Seifer managed to lever himself cautiously, balancing himself carefully on his gunblade and taking a light leap, grabbed the ledge of the ventilation shaft. He crawled in and the stuck his head back out to retrieve his weapon, the two boys below stared up at him with disbelief - their eyes boggled by the performance they had beheld. Grinning to himself, Almasy did a mock salute and then he was gone.

"Yikes!" was all Zell could say, scratching the back of his head in a bemused fashion. "I can't believe I just saw that. Since when did Seifer learn to execute moves like _that_?"

"Only Bahamut knows," Irvine said readjusting his hat and whistling low. "Boy..."

"Exactly," they both agreed and laughed.

Squall scrambled almost frantically on all fours. Relieved that the air vent did divide into several directions, Squall prayed that nothing bad had happened to Selphie or Instructor Trepe - that they had not been subjected to any form of horror.

As it turned out, when Squall and Seifer reached the end of the shaft, it appeared to have led to a dimly lit room closed shut by an electronic device. He looked inquiringly at Selphie who pointed at a darker corner of the hazy colours of the room that was as large as the Infirmary room at Balamb.

Muttering to himself, Squall produced a Fire spell in his palm and guided it in the direction of where Selphie pointed. For a moment, Squall's crystal blue eyes widened in disbelief, and heard Seifer momentarily take an abrupt few steps back, which succeeded with a curse. They understood now, the scream had come from Quistis - the source of her distress being the decapitated head of an X-ATMO92 - Squall was unsure of whether it was the same mechanical beast that was blown to smithereens - in Selphie's manner of phrasing - or whether it was another imitation.

The quick darting motion of her sapphire eyes were enough to tell Seifer that Quistis had not fully recovered from her ordeal at the Deep Sea Research facility - neither had he, now that the thought entered his mind. He shuddered inwardly and glanced up at Quistis who attempted to smile but failed. Why did he have an awful feeling down at the pit of his stomach that something more sinister than a mechanical spider awaited them on the other side of the electronic door? Pushing that thought aside, Seifer kept his gunblade at his side, call it paranoia, he felt somewhat safer, somewhat more self-assured having the feel of his cherished weapon in his hand.

"Selphie, go call the other two," Squall said. "Instructor... you OK...?"

Quistis did not reply for a while, and when she did, her reply came in the form of a slow nod of the head, all the while her gaze still transfixed upon the head of X-ATMO92. What she dreaded the most, what she would really hate to happen, would be if those red blood eyes came to life any time now. _That_ would scare her to hell and perhaps she'd never recover from her fright. 'But you're an Instructor...' and yady yady yada. Even Garden Instructors had fears too! Some people did not seem to appreciate that. _And I'm not immortal,_ Quistis added to herself. _Why does everyone assume that I am so? Sure, we Instructors are cool on the outside, but we have to be. We can't be seen cracking up in front of students - it ruins credibility and any reputation that may have been built. No, I am_ not _over reacting._

After Selphie had gone there was an awkward silence. Squall shifted from one foot to the other. Seifer stared very hard at the X-ATMO92. Raising a weary hand to her forehead, Quistis closed her eyes and then opened them. She was sure all her confidence as an instructor had just abandoned her.


	8. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

Resurrection - part fifteen

Chapter Fifteen - Flying Antics

****

"Co-ordinates, Zell!" Selphie hollered from her position in the pilot seat.

"Erk, co-ordinations are a bit cranky, Selphie," Zell returned, banging the device against a metal panel. "Damn tracer. Stupid! It's died on me!"

"Way to go Dincht," Seifer cheered from his seat.

"Shuddup Almasy. I don't see you doing much!" Zell snapped. "Ha! Got it back!" he said triumphantly. "Hey Selphie, it's north-east of the Centra Ruins."

"Got it!" the auburn headed girl confirmed, locking onto the location. "Approximate arrival 10-15 minutes."

"What mode are you on, cruise speed?" Seifer inquired from the back of the bridge. "By the time we arrive, Odine would have compressed our world, and that's bye, bye to us."

"Full speed ahead BABY!"

"Sometimes I wonder about Zell. Those hotdogs have a remarkable effect on him." Quistis said thoughtfully.

"Hyperactive is the word you're looking for, Instructor," Seifer supplied.

"His motto: keep on moving and don't stop." Irvine commented.

"Heheh, one day he'll keep on moving until he collapses like a seriously whacked out Chocobos that's been trekking too far." Seifer snickered.

"I am so gonna kick you're sorry ass, from here to the next galaxy!" Zell stormed, his Ehrgiez gloves raised ready to punch Seifer in the face.

"Ooh, might wanna stock up on those hotdogs, Dincht. For one thing you're gonna need all the energy-"

"Only 'cos you're sooo fat! Your ass is so fat you take two seats up, I bet I couldn't even do my Meteor Barrett move on you 'cos you weigh as much as an Iron Giant!"

"Go Zell!" Irvine cheered.

"Shut up, cow boy!" Seifer snarled, pushing Zell to one side. "Or I'll kick your sorry ass outta this world and into the cosmos!"

"Yeah, well you just try beatin' a bullet to the brain from my Exeter. Let's see if a phoenix down brings you back to life or not, loser."

"Loser?" Seifer echoed. "I'm looking at one. Two even. Try flirting with a Moomba and it'd run like hell, quick time."

"Urgh! Irvine's gay?!" Selphie squealed from her seat up front.

"Man, you're dodgy. That's why you were looking me up at Balamb!" Zell said horrified.

"Stupid, _bastard_!!" Irvine yelled, drawing his weapon out and ready to fire at Seifer's grinning face. "I'm not _gay_! Who said a Moomba was a guy anyway?!"

"Moomba's are from the people of the Shumi village, isn't it?" Quistis said. From what she recalled from her last visit to the Shumi Village which was deep underground, depending on whether a person of the Shumi tribe had served well in his life, he changed into a Moomba to further assist in people's lives. "I assumed that those from the Shumi tribe were all male. I saw no females."

"I'm _not_ gay!" Irvine insisted the barrel if his Exeter pressing against the temple of Seifer. "You ass-hole! Look what'cha gone and done!"

Seifer shrugged and continued to grin. "Oops, my bad," he said chuckling from the thought.

"He's only winding you up, Irvine," Quistis said, coming towards to the cowboy to pry his weapon off his hands. "Just ignore him,"

"Awwe, Irvie can't take a joke?" Seifer taunted.

"OK Seifer, that's enough," Quistis instructed, smiling despite herself.

"Hey, Squall disappeared _again_?" said Zell whipping his head round from side to side trying to find a glimpse of their commander.

"I don't think he's had enough time to be on his own," Quistis spoke. "I've deliberately tried to interrupt his trail of thoughts, only to stop him from thinking about Rinoa. If he does that, he'll tear himself apart."

"He shouldn't worry. We're gonna kick Odine's ass anyway. We'll save Rinoa and Matron. Never fear, the SeeDs are here!!" Zell said a little on the loud side.

"Did someone deafen you as a child? Don't think you realise what a big mouth you've got." Seifer said. "A big mouth for your beloved hotdogs, as well as your voice." He added in a lower tone.

"Selphie, how are you doing for time?" Irvine asked the girl up front.

"What month is it?" Quistis suddenly spoke up, changing the subject that all of the male members of the team, minus Squall looked at her with blank faces. "Come on. What month is it?" she repeated.

"Oh, _month!_" Zell said, finally understanding what was being asked. "Sorry, uh, its August isn't it?"

"August? Yeah, yeah, it's August," Irvine nodded. "Why do you ask, Quistis?"

The 19-year-old girl shook her head, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "There's a date in this month that's important. I, I was just trying to remember what it was, that's all... oh what can it be?"

"Squally's birthday?" Seifer asked a midst the brief silence.

"_That's_ it!" Quistis exclaimed and clapped her hands in delight. "Yes, Squall's birthday!"

"It's on the twenty-third, isn't it?" as far as Zell could recall. "Heey, how comes you even remember?"

Seifer smiled smugly. "I remember many things my dear friend," he stated. "I bet you'd be surprised if I told you that I know yours too."

"No not really," Zell replied flatly. "I'd be worried and scared. Knowing you, you'd probably pull a prank with Raijin and Fujin."

"True," Seifer conceded. "In fact, I know _all_ of your birthdays." He said.

"When's mine then?" Zell challenged.

"March the seventeenth," Seifer answered easily.

"Oh,"

"Instructor Quistis' is on October the fourth, messenger girl over at the pilot seat over there is on July the sixteenth. And cowboy... and... cowboy's..." there the blond haired boy's voice trailed off.

"Hah! You thought you knew mine, huh?" Irvine said smirking.

"That's 'cos you're too a minor insignificant person to remember," Seifer said. "Heheh, just kidding. Of course I know yours, cowboy. It's on November the twenty-fourth."

"Damn! That _is_ worrying!" Irvine muttered and tilting his cowboy forward.

"And I know his," Zell said. "December the twenty-second."

"Awe, chicken wuss. You remembered! Going to get me something?" Seifer sniggered.

"You wish," Zell retorted. "My Gil isn't worth spending on you." Score for Z-E-L-L!! He was definitely getting good at back chatting!

"I ask because may be we should arrange a surprise birthday party for him," Quistis suggested.

"Awesome idea!!" Zell enthused. "Yeah, we could use the ball room to hold it in."

"Doesn't Squall hate surprises?" Irvine asked.

"Uh, I don't think Squall kindly takes to surprises," Quistis now said, recalling what everyone knew about the youngest SeeD of the team.

"To hell with that! He's a party pooper, anyway," Zell said. "It's for him, so he should be grateful."

"I'm sure he-" Irvine began, only to be silenced by a nudge in the ribs from Quistis. The bridge door opened, and in stepped Squall. All stared after him guiltily as he slowly stepped in, his face showing curiosity and intrigued.

"What?" Squall said, glancing from one face to another. "What's up with you guys?"

"We're just happy to see you Squall," said Selphie.

"Right..." said Squall flatly. "That's why Zell has a look on his face like a cat who swallowed a canary."

"Ah, you're hopeless!" Seifer griped.

"Shut the hell up, man!!" Zell snapped. "Have a go at Irvine, why always me?!"

"'Cos you're easy target," Seifer replied.

"I'm surprised you two aren't best friends," Squall commented dryly.

"You serious?! Hell, I wouldn't be his best friend even if you gave me all the Gil in the world!" Zell declared.

"I'd offer _not_ to be his best friend, or not know him for free," Seifer said. "Hah! That's a joke. Squall, you takin' the piss? 'Cos if you are, then I'd say you've found your sense of humour."

Squall did nothing more but shrug and allowed himself a small smile. He did not allow himself to fret over Rinoa or Matron. They had beaten Ultimecia before; they could do it again. As for Odine the oddball the 'mad scientist'? Well, the SeeDs would find a suitable punishment for him. It was he who started all the grief in the first place.

"Soon approaching targeted location," Selphie announced.

"We've got to prepare ourselves and make sure we don't get caught out like the last time." Squall instructed. "We've got a total of sixteen Guardian Forces, not counting Odin/Gilgamesh, Phoenix or Boko. All of us are able to junction at least two each, then four of us can take a third."

"I'll take Shiva and Siren," Quistis said raising a hand.

"Brothers and Carbuncle are mine!" Selphie asserted.

"Let me take Leviathan and Cactuar," Irvine said.

"Cerberus and Diablos go with me!" said Zell.

"Fine, Quezacotl and Ifrit go with me," Squall said. "What about you Seifer?"

"Don't care. Ah, jus' gimme Bahamut and Tonberry," he said.

"That just leaves Eden, Alexander, Doomtrain and Pandemona,"

"If anybody has no objections, I'll take Eden," Selphie said.

"Sure, Selphie, anybody else?" Squall asked.

"I'll take Alexander then," said Irvine.

"Doomtrain," Zell said.

"OK, I'll take Pandemona," Quistis said.

"Right, get junctioning. Zell, I want you have Recover on your abilities, OK?" Squall directed. "Uh, Selphie, have Item on you. Quistis and Irvine, make sure you are aptly supplied with aura magic. And Seifer-"

"Will Ultima, Meteor, Flare, Tornado, Full-life and Aura, do _commander_?" Seifer inquired archly.

"Er... yes, fine," Squall muttered. "Remember to watch your backs. I have a feeling Odine has some nasty trick in store for us."

"You're not alone on that, Squall," Quistis assured.

Everybody else nodded to second that thought.

Chapter Sixteen - Lost and Found

****

The weather was warm when they had disembarked the Ragnorak. A summer breeze ruffled their clothes and hair, like an intimate caress. What they were doing? What they were set to face felt like taking a stroll in the forest. Squall found it hard to believe that they were about to encounter their biggest threat to their world, yet again. _There's still time to wake up,_ Squall thought. _Still time to wake me from this ensuing nightmare, this horror. This is not happening._ Oh, but it was. It was as real as the solid earth beneath their feet, and the surrounding landscape around them. It was so real that Squall knew that he was deliberately deluding himself. _At least I tried_; he joked but failed to produce a hint of a smile.

Seifer stood aside from the dark haired boy, taking in the air that filled his lungs - the sensation exhilarating. He glanced up at the azure blue sky and noted a throng of grey coloured clouds set to pass over in the distance. Dismissing the thick shrouds that was sure to bring rain and possibly a storm along with it; Seifer focused his active mind on the task. His gunblade held in one hand, Seifer itched to use his weapon, it had been a very long time since he last used it. He wanted to feel the power surge through his arm, past his wrist and then finally burst forth with a mass of energy when he would deliver the killing blow. He wanted to feel that power again, and grew weary as each passing minute slipped by.

Their problem being was actually _finding_ Lunatic Pandora. Everyone looked about them in puzzlement. There was no sign of the gigantic structure to be found within miles of where they were.

"Uh, Selphie, you sure you landed in the right place?" Zell inquired, scratching the back of his head.

"_You_ were the one who gave me the location, Zell. _You_ tell me where Lunatic Pandora is." The copper haired girl said, she herself regarding the surrounding with perplexity. Where was the thing? She followed Zell's orders, as he told her, so where was it?

"That's what I dunno!" Zell said making a face and waving his arms about the place. "All there is, is land, land, more land and that forest over there."

"Wait a second..." Quistis said, walking away from the group and towards the group.

"Hey Instructor!" Zell yelled. "Where you goin'?"

"Hang on a minute!" Instructor Trepe returned her voice faint as she jogged over towards the mass of trees, to the west of where the Ragnorak had landed.

"Ah, this is stupid!" Irvine grumbled. "Every time we get a lead, we're stopped by an obstacle."

"Over here!" Quistis' voice called out.

"You spoke too soon," Seifer grinned, patting the cowboy on the shoulder and trotting to where Quistis stood.

"What did you find?" Squall asked striving to get his breathing back in order and the beat of his heart to a steady pace.

"Our missing edifice," Quistis replied, guiding them through the labyrinth of vegetation and leaves and into a large clearing to where the astray Lunatic Pandora rested, after a year of absence.

"It was hidden in the forest," said Zell, eyeing the towering structure with awe and admiration. "No wonder we couldn't see it!"

"Now that we know where its been crashing out, why don't we go and take a look see...?" Seifer suggested, pointing the blade of his weapon purposefully towards Lunatic Pandora.

"Hold on a minute," Squall said. "Before we proceed any further, I want Zell and Selphie to go up front along with me and Irvine, Seifer and Quistis take back. I'm leaving Seifer in charge of the second group. Quistis, second any decisions that need to be made, or make your own suggestions when you deem in right to do so."

"Squall, you sure 'bout this?" Zell asked him, jerking a head at where Seifer stood.

"In order successfully carry out our mission, trust is needed. I, as commander need to be able to trust every member of the team, to assure myself that in the heat of battle, I can trust any of you to see things through till the end. Giving Seifer the responsibility will test his aptness to lead a small group."

"His _aptness_ to lead has already been tested, hasn't it?" Irvine asked. "He's led a _whole_ fleet of Galbadian soldiers, hasn't he?"

The blond boy took this with recoil; his body tensing and his teeth gritted together. _Thank you cowboy that was one thing I did _not _want to be reminded about_. "I _am_ still here," Seifer pointed out coldly.

Irvine turned to face him and did a shrug; "Frankly I don't know what you're still doing here. And I don't see how any of you, especially you Squall, could forgive _him_, Ultimecia's lapdog."

"Irvine!" Quistis said sharply, casting an apologetic look to Seifer on his behalf. "We're not here to discuss about Seifer's past."

All the cowboy did was shrug yet again, and cross his arms across his chest. "Whoever said the truth was a pretty thing to behold."

"Awe, just shut up man!" Zell snapped at him. "You talk a lot of BS anyway, must've been from listening to all those Galbadian losers in your Garden."

"Bullshit that happens to be the truth," said Irvine bluntly. "Hey, and don't start on Galbadia OK, kung fu boy. You have something to say about my Garden, you come and say it right to my face, and prepare for a fight."

"You wanna a fight, you got one," Zell stated, taking a step forward and broadening his chest. Although Irvine was seven inches taller than the 5'5" incredible martial artist, Zell however did not let this trivial thing get the best of him - he had fought a giant T-Rexuar with no problems, Irvine was nothing compared to this.

"Quistis is right, we're not here to discuss and evict Seifer of the wrongful doings he has committed in the past. We're here to get a job done." Squall said.

"Fancy hearing that from you, Squall." said Irvine, his steady eyes fixed on the commander. "Everyday you get up, and you look in the mirror. You see that scar of yours on your forehead, and realise who put that there."

"Irvine, if you have any qualms or problems, you discuss it with _me_. For now, all those problems are to be put aside until we liberate this world of its threat."

"We sort this out _now_," Irvine stressed forcefully, the barrel of his Exeter digging into the soil of the forest ground.

All raised eyebrows that arched at a high point. To hear such emphatic words from a person that was never known to show the force and vigour found in Zell or Seifer was odd and surprising to hear.

"Irvine?" Selphie said uncertainly. "Irvine, is there-"

"_You,_ after a year of disappearance just reappear like Carbuncle does from a hole in the ground, and _expect_ us to pour our hearts out to you, to show our sympathy? You think by saying sorry, we would forget all that ever happened? The GF's may take those memories away, but by Ifrit will I still be able to remember all the suffering you caused."

"Irvine-" Quistis began pensively. She could see where this was going to lead, and did not want either of the young men to injure themselves when they were needed for the task at hand.

"Leave it instructor," Seifer said, holding up a hand to silence her. "If cowboy wants an explanation, I'll give him one. That is what you want, isn't it?" without waiting for a reply, Seifer proceeded, putting away his gunblade before doing so, lest he should break in an unintended vicious attack. "Where shall I begin? First of all, I'll let you know Kinneas, that your place and loyalties, as a SeeD do not belong with Balamb Garden. You were sent to assist in the assassination of the sorceress, what's the word you use? Sharp shooter, is it? I don't understand why _you_ are still at Balamb, when Headmaster Cid should have sent you back to where you rightfully belong."

"Let's leave that to Headmaster Cid's, eh?" Irvine suggested irritably.

"Fair enough. Now, are you quite comfortable? I warn you, my tale is a long one." Seifer mocked.

"Yeah, well don't give up your day-time job,"

"Don't say I didn't you warn you," Seifer said, raising his shoulders, and then letting them fall. "Oh, and can I add that because you were, a, hmm, how can I say it without being rude? A third wheel, you of all people do not know my background, what I am like, you know nothing about me at all. I bet you fought against me without understanding the full implications of what was going on!"

"_I_ fought for what was right. I fought against an evil that was _you_."

"That is where you are wrong, Irvine," Quistis spoke gently. "Seifer was not to blame, sorceress Ultimecia was."

"And now she's back to release hell back into the world!" Zell said. "C'mon! Forget the stupid story, man. We got some ass to kick!"

"We really don't have time for this!" Squall said impatiently. "We need to infiltrate Lunatic Pandora, locate where Odine is and stop him, before mayhem is released."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Irvine snapped. "Don't bitch about it. Geez, I didn't think I'd last for a minute listening to him waffling on and on anyway!"

"Never mind, Irvine," Seifer commiserated in a mocking tone. "I know you wanted to hear my tragic story so much. I'll tell you all about it someday."

"Don't bother," Irvine muttered, walking over to a tree and leaning against it, with the brim of his hat titled forward to hide his face.

"Right. Now that we've sorted things out, maybe we can get a move on?" Squall suggested. "GF's are junctioned, magic and abilities. OK, Zell and Selphie with me up front."

It did not help that Irvine was still brooding over Seifer, and it did not help that Seifer was to be in charge in the group Squall had Irvine in. Never the less, they had to press onwards and forget about the minor problems, because they had a major one to sort out first. Deigning not to speak to the blond boy, Irvine walked a little bit ahead of Seifer and Instructor Trepe, leaving the elder boy and girl slightly behind.

His gunblade out, Seifer focused his mind to the job at hand. He watched Irvine walking half a metre ahead of him, and trained his gaze at the back of his head. _Don't let your temper over take you,_ he warned himself. _He's not worth it_. Frowning, Seifer gripped the handle of his weapon tighter and set his lips to a grim line. He only began to notice that Quistis was walking beside him when her voice reached out to him, asking him a question.

"Seifer?" she asked. "Seifer, are you OK?"

"Fine, Instructor," he murmured. Why did he feel suddenly guilty being next to her? They had managed to develop a gap between the first group and Irvine, that their conversation was out of an earshot, except to those with prying ears. Walking silently next to her, with almost no one around, felt almost too intimate - Seifer could not figure out whether he wanted this, or not. One thing he was sure of, was that whatever he was feeling was happening at the wrong place and at the wrong time. "Thanks for speaking up for me,"

"What's this?!" Quistis said with a laugh. "You're Seifer! You don't need a girl to stick up for you! You can do that all by yourself!"

"Sometimes it's nice to know that someone trusts you when others don't," Seifer said quietly.

To this Quistis blushed slightly, but since it was quite dark with the tall trees blocking the sunlight, Seifer did not see her change in colour. "I only said what was the truth. Irvine- he, he doesn't understand. Nobody really does except for you. Just ignore the rebukes. By my standards, you're very good,"

"Oh?" Seifer inquired raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "Instructor, are you suggesting something?"

In response to that, Quistis batted the boy lightly on the shoulder and laughed. "You saved my life, remember."

"So, the slap in the face? You take that back?"

"Uh, no. You deserved it," she said solemnly.

"What if I ask real nice...?" he said, his voice trailing, leaving much to the imagination.

Alarm bells rang inside Quistis' mind. It was déjà vu of what happened - no, what _could_ have happened in the elevator back at Balamb, had the lift travelled a little more slowly. Was she going to allow this?

"Maybe-" she began, only to be cut off by the loud bawdy voices of Irvine and Zell who sang crudely in unison.

"Seifer and Quistis sittin' on the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! One for-"

"You shut the hell up, chicken and cowboy!" (Hey… Cow and Chicken), Seifer yelled back, creasing his brow half in anger and half in embarrassment. Quistis, he saw was trying very hard to control her laughter and tried to laugh himself, but was not used to being made a fool of. Instinctively he reached down at his right hip, only to be restrained by a gloved hand placed on top of his.

Quistis' eyes held his for a few moments too long, breaking the gaze with a batter of her eyelids. "Seifer, please," she said. "Leave it,"

And the funny thing was he listened to her. Seifer never listened to nobody, never took orders from anyone - he had listened to Instructor Trepe, what was it that made him listen now? Looking down at his boots, Seifer let his hand slip away from the butt of his gunblade, and with that went the gentle touch of Quistis' hand.

__

Getting drowned by your hormones again, Seifer taunted himself. That little reminder came like a bucket of ice cold water, to which he responded by taking a step back abruptly.

Quistis appeared to seem hurt at his sudden reaction and began to catch up with Irvine. Seifer sighed heavily and raked a hand through his already ruffled hair. This game he was playing with her was too much for him. One thing was for sure, they were getting nowhere but round and round in a constant eternal circle, and for another Seifer believed that something deep was stirring inside him, and it happened whenever he was with _her_ and _alone._

Zell smiled to himself like he usually did when a funny thought entered his mind. That was a fine joke he and Irvine played on Seifer - got him really worked up and pissed. Hands delved deep into the pockets of his blue denim shorts, Zell whistled quietly to himself as Squall led the way up to Lunatic Pandora. All that remained was that they find an entrance, a entrance that did not seem to exist at their level.

The only entrance they really knew was the one the Ragnorak had created, and that was somewhere up the top - no doubt Odine had the damage repaired, especially if he was using the giant structure as his secret hideout place. And Lunatic Pandora was convenient too! Squall and the crew remembered all too well what Ultimecia looked like - which was more than could be said for sorceress Adel - now that was one sorceress _nobody _wanted to see in their dreams, more like their nightmares. Ultimecia was a tall frame of pure evil beauty - wait that was _Ade_l! No, _Adel_ was a tall frame of pure evil, whilst Ultimecia was just a frame of pure feminine evil beauty - though a bit psychotic in the upper region.

It wasn't just Ultimecia who was the nut, everyone who was associated with her were nuts. Seifer had been a little mental, he didn't even knew why he hated SeeD and Garden - Ultimecia had warped his mind - filling his vulnerable mind with fantasies made of clouds. They never really existed, they only appeared to seem real, and then you reached out for them, they disappeared to nothingness.

Zell wondered about Ultimecia now. Would she be in the same form she was as they last fought her? Would she still be the cunning, manipulative sorceress everyone knew her to be? _One way to find out, _he told himself bluntly. Indeed, there was only one way, and that way was located through a ventilation shaft four feet above their heads. The air vent had hardly been noticeable since it blended quite well with the out exterior of the Lunatic Pandora itself.

Deciding upon who should go and have a look see, Squall motioned for Quistis and Selphie to come forward.

"Instructor, Selphie, I want you to go through the ventilation shaft and see where it leads to, if the path divides, choose a route each. If you run into any trouble, call and we'll come immediately." he instructed them.

"Hey, I don't mind going," Zell volunteered.

"Dincht, you're too fat!" Seifer stated bluntly, and gave a smug smile in his direction when Zell shot him a look.

"He's right," Squall agreed and saw the hurt look Zell threw at him. "Uh, not in that sense Zell. It's just that Quistis and Selphie, well, they are, um- they'll be easier to fit in the air vent, and quickly get back out again if they do come up against something." he explained.

"Irvine, I need a boost!" the spunky young girl piped. "Make it a good one!" and it would have to be if she was to successfully reach the level of the ventilation shaft, what with her 5" 1' height.

"No sweat!" Irvine assured, going down on one knee. "OK, your foot- the right one. OK, ready? One, two, three!" at the same time Selphie launched herself upwards, Irvine boosted her up with his hand that had been used as a step. Zooming straight up, Selphie had her MorningStar in one hand, and with that she used her weapon to smash open the ventilation shaft, with only seconds to grab onto the ledge before she would be plummeting back down. She dangled now with one hand, gave a cheery smile to those below, and did a thumbs up sign and then crawled in to make way for Quistis.

Instructor Trepe followed the height of Lunatic Pandora and bit her lower lip. She was unsure of the fact that she would be able to repeat what Selphie had just done. For one thing, she weighed a significant amount more heavier than Selphie - a stone heavier or so - but enough a difference to affect her ability to grab the ledge and fall to her doom. Squall, Zell, Irvine and Seifer saw the hesitation in her eyes, and they too hesitated for a moment. Seifer followed her gaze to where the shaft was located and made his mind up. Coming forward, Seifer took the girl by the elbow and steered her in the direction of the wall where the shaft was located.

"Seifer?!" she said in an exasperated tone.

"C'mon, I'll give you a boost up," he said. Behind him he heard the faint snickering of Irvine and Zell, and his temper rose a few degrees near boiling point. "Instructor,"

"I don't think-" she began uneasily.

"You'll reach, don't worry," Seifer assured.

"But I _am_ worried!" Quistis snapped, and then apologised. "Sorry," she muttered.

"You'll reach," he repeated. "You're taller than the messenger girl- I, uh I mean you're taller than Selphie, so that should compensate for your weight."

He had a point. Quistis _was_ taller - a good 5 inches! Setting her lips to a determined line, Quistis carefully set a knee-length boot clad leg onto Seifer's hands. Then, on her signal Quistis counted to three and pushed upwards together with the help of Seifer, and found herself breathless and exhilarated, clinging on to the ledge of the air vent.

Below, a whistle of approval from Zell and a cheer from Irvine greeted her ears, and she smiled. She wedged herself into the claustrophobic vent and stuck her head out again to receive the go-ahead signal from Squall. She watched Seifer dust his black gloves, and Zell and Irvine saying something which resulted in the blond boy launching an attack on the both of them. The two younger SeeDs broke into gales of laughter at Seifer's angry- angry? _Enraged_ face.

"Zell, that's enough!" she ordered before ducking in again.

"Me!!" the martial arts expert exploded. "Irvine was making the obscene jokes, geez!"

"Quit playing around!" Squall commanded from them and the bickering and laughing ceased with only the faint whisper of the wind ruffling the leaves on the forest trees. Silence made people uneasy.

Pricking up his ears, Squall listened intently for any sound of distress or a call from the girls to say that everything was OK. Three minutes, then five slipped by, and then Squall began to worry. It was at the tip of his tongue to say that they should move in when a shrill scream distorted the perfectness of the calm and serene surroundings. Squall and the others acted immediately.

"Zell, give me boost," he said. "I want you and Irvine to stay outside and keep watch, in case something happens," which Squall hoped would not. "Seifer, follow my lead,"

"Awe no!" Zell complained once he had helped push Squall up to the air vent. "I'm gonna have to give _you_ a boost?! Damn man! Irvine, come and help me out."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Seifer returned scathingly. What he did next, Zell and Irvine were not sure if they saw correctly. Taking a run, Seifer had performed a running jump, whilst in mid-air had done a tuck-and-roll forwards and at the last minute before he was supposed to slam against the exterior of Lunatic Pandora, unsheathed his gunblade and rammed it home. From there, Seifer managed to lever himself cautiously, balancing himself carefully on his gunblade and taking a light leap, grabbed the ledge of the ventilation shaft. He crawled in and the stuck his head back out to retrieve his weapon, the two boys below stared up at him with disbelief - their eyes boggled by the performance they had beheld. Grinning to himself, Almasy did a mock salute and then he was gone.

"Yikes!" was all Zell could say, scratching the back of his head in a bemused fashion. "I can't believe I just saw that. Since when did Seifer learn to execute moves like _that_?"

"Only Bahamut knows," Irvine said readjusting his hat and whistling low. "Boy..."

"Exactly," they both agreed and laughed.

Squall scrambled almost frantically on all fours. Relieved that the air vent did divide into several directions, Squall prayed that nothing bad had happened to Selphie or Instructor Trepe - that they had not been subjected to any form of horror.

As it turned out, when Squall and Seifer reached the end of the shaft, it appeared to have led to a dimly lit room closed shut by an electronic device. He looked inquiringly at Selphie who pointed at a darker corner of the hazy colours of the room that was as large as the Infirmary room at Balamb.

Muttering to himself, Squall produced a Fire spell in his palm and guided it in the direction of where Selphie pointed. For a moment, Squall's crystal blue eyes widened in disbelief, and heard Seifer momentarily take an abrupt few steps back, which succeeded with a curse. They understood now, the scream had come from Quistis - the source of her distress being the decapitated head of an X-ATMO92 - Squall was unsure of whether it was the same mechanical beast that was blown to smithereens - in Selphie's manner of phrasing - or whether it was another imitation.

The quick darting motion of her sapphire eyes were enough to tell Seifer that Quistis had not fully recovered from her ordeal at the Deep Sea Research facility - neither had he, now that the thought entered his mind. He shuddered inwardly and glanced up at Quistis who attempted to smile but failed. Why did he have an awful feeling down at the pit of his stomach that something more sinister than a mechanical spider awaited them on the other side of the electronic door? Pushing that thought aside, Seifer kept his gunblade at his side, call it paranoia, he felt somewhat safer, somewhat more self-assured having the feel of his cherished weapon in his hand.

"Selphie, go call the other two," Squall said. "Instructor... you OK...?"

Quistis did not reply for a while, and when she did, her reply came in the form of a slow nod of the head, all the while her gaze still transfixed upon the head of X-ATMO92. What she dreaded the most, what she would really hate to happen, would be if those red blood eyes came to life any time now. _That_ would scare her to hell and perhaps she'd never recover from her fright. 'But you're an Instructor...' and yady yady yada. Even Garden Instructors had fears too! Some people did not seem to appreciate that. _And I'm not immortal,_ Quistis added to herself. _Why does everyone assume that I am so? Sure, we Instructors are cool on the outside, but we have to be. We can't be seen cracking up in front of students - it ruins credibility and any reputation that may have been built. No, I am_ not _over reacting._

After Selphie had gone there was an awkward silence. Squall shifted from one foot to the other. Seifer stared very hard at the X-ATMO92. Raising a weary hand to her forehead, Quistis closed her eyes and then opened them. She was sure all her confidence as an instructor had just abandoned her.


	9. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

MS FF8 version part 17-19 Chapter9

Chapter Seventeen - Nightmare Reborn

****

The clanking of metal and the thud of feet making contact with the floor caught the attention of the older boy and girl, as well as the younger boy also. Zell cast a worrying look in the direction of where the mechanical spider lay, quite peacefully before shrugging in a carefree gesture, and rubbed his hands together. Irvine dropped down beside the martial arts expert being the last to make it out of the ventilation shaft.

"Time to kick some butt, right?" Zell asked with a hopeful look that even he couldn't deny.

__

Some serious_ butt_, Squall mentally corrected but then caught himself. Being around Zell was resulting in deterioration of his own peace of mind! Not that it was a bad thing to have a person like Zell around. Squall was grateful. Sure, the mohawkish haired boy was loud... at times annoying... that was a definite benefit for a person such as himself. A miserly... depressing... too serious-for-a-teenager adolescent. _Stop that!_ He snapped at himself, his lips now set in the all too distinct, familiar no-nonsense expression he was renowned for.

"Once we're out on the hallway no hesitation should be made to locate where Odine is hiding. Whichever group does so first, take him out and get as much information you can get from him. If Ultimecia be resurrected... well, let's hope it hasn't come to that stage yet.

__

Hope? Seifer echoed what the dark-haired voice said in his mind. _You mean pray!_ _Pray like you've never damned prayed before!_ He personally had not fought Ultimecia in hand to hand combat with the additional aid of magic, and Guardian Forces, although the GF's had almost rendered useless against the powerful sorceress, if only it was to buy them time to heal.

Pulling open the latch of the door gently with a black gloved hand, Squall cautiously peered out into the corridor and recoiled back slightly into the room when the brightly lit fluorescent bulbs struck his eyes with an uncanny intensity. Trying again, this time taking care that he didn't directly expose the rods and cones of his eyes with bright light, Squall stepped out and glanced in both opposite directions. Motioning the others to join him, he instructed Seifer and his group to take one directions, whilst himself, Selphie and Zell took the other. Silently, the two groups moved.

The doctor was having a very good day today. He was pleased with himself, and marvelled with glee at the amount of work he had been able to achieve. He knew that the interfering little busy-bodies, also known as the SeeDs would try to intervene and spoil his plan to revive what had been the fragmented pieces of Ultimecia and to bring a new dawn to the mundane world he currently resided and existed in. No fear, Ultimecia would take care of that. She had the capacity and aptitude to do such a thing - no sweat for the ultra powerful sorceress from the future. Except Ultimecia was in the here and now, and only a matter of time before she became a living, breathing, human? No, _thing_ was what best described her. A living, breathing thing, just like everyone. Except any normal person did not go on a rampage, going to great lengths to achieve the goal of world domination. The phrase itself was beginning to be a bit cliché, that it no longer had the desired effect - only because so many people tried, attempted to do such a thing. Pointless, unless you had the power...

Odine strolled over to a collection of computer monitors, scanning each screen to ensure all was going well - to ensure that he was in control. He then strolled over to the giant cylindrical glass casement that held the form of Ultimecia, across the room and beamed at her, at _it._ Odine was happy, was content with the reassurance that there would be no dinky little SeeDs to foil his plans, plans that were carefully mapped out and organised during his absence of a year. He had devised his scheme so well, so intricately. Had it not been for those damned, infernal SeeDs, Odine was sure that he would not have been identified as the culprit, the brains behind this ingenious plan.

After the downfall of the sorceress formally known as Ultimecia, people around the world had expelled huge sighs of relief at the end of her reign of terror. How wrong they had been, how _he_ had been to assume that the worst was over. How very wrong he had been, how _everyone_ had been. Now Odine knew he should never assume anything. Not even in this imperfect world, not ever. The calling first came to him in a faint whisper, almost an inaudible voice that Odine very readily admitted that it was nothing, that he had been deceived by his own ears. Except that faint murmurings did not occur in a laboratory, minus any other breathing thing. Had in been out in the open, somewhere in the Abadon or Alclaud Plains, fair enough, but...

The next time Odine had heard the whisper had been in his laboratory once again, this time the whisper was bolder, clearer, yet he had not been able to establish who was _haunting_ him, in the sense that no physical body could be seen attached to the voice. From there, 'the voice' invaded his thoughts, and even his dreams. It would continue to torment him until he was forced into submission, forced to retreat and find solitude in the deep confines of the Research Facility, far, far away. The voice had instructed him, had guided him to seek refuge from the world he called home. After that, he became mentally insecure, and nobody, not a soul heard of him since... until now.

Although her physical form had been destroyed, her spirit, her very bad essence of her being had not. For a year she had floated around the earth she promised she would conquer someday, scouring, searching for one that would serve her turn, who would be loyal and able enough to carry out her work... Ultimecia had found that in Odine. And with only the power of what was barely left of her, Ultimecia, with a mouth and lips that could hardly be called so, laughed a high pitched shriek - savouring the harsh wind that gradually built up around her.

Perhaps reuniting Edea and the girl had been an unwise and foolish decision. The SeeD, the one who possessed a gun-blade with an impressive lion - Griever - etched on the steely blade, he was rather attached to the girl in blue, was he not...? Singularly foolish of him to not see the flaw, the error that the part of his grand scheme had.

"Ah, well that iz someting I need not vorry about", Odine assured himself. The boy and his petty followers were disposed off now, he knew because the triggering mechanism was connected to the set of computer panels he had in Lunatic Pandora. Technically he had been a witness to their death. As for back up, well X-ATMO92 would have taken care of that.

Sniggering, Odine allowed the muscles of cheeks to pull back. His snigger became an evil grin, and then the grin formed into a menacing scowl and then developing into a full-fledge, ominous snarl. "I am in control!" he bellowed to the laboratory, his hands clenched into fists, turning the knuckles of his hand to white. "No more SeeDs!! No - more - SeeeeeeeeeeeDs!!!" Odine began to laugh manically.

Squall and his group had been on the prowl for quite a while now. Indeed it had been quite a while since they last saw the interior side of Lunatic Pandora, and yet clearly he had underestimated the sheer size of the structure. Squall, Zell and Selphie had hiked up so many stairs, that he had lost count, and stealthily walked down so many corridors that Squall was ready to admit that they were lost.

A shuffling sound caught the attention of the seventeen year-old boy, to which he froze in mid-creep at the sound. Yes, a definite shuffling sound or more than one pair of feet coming from the direction they were heading towards. Could it be soldiers patrolling Lunatic Pandora? Signalling for the other two to follow his lead, Squall pressed himself against the wall and crept forward, stopping every time at the slightest squeak or creek. Drawing his gunblade, Squall braced himself for battle.

Seifer was pissed, in the sense that he felt his temper rising at every door they had opened had been as unfruitful as the last. They had come up with nothing. Hadn't located Odine - nada. Willing himself not to lose it in front of Quistis, even more so in front of Irvine, Seifer continued walk down the corridor they were currently at, purposefully. The three of them had grown weary at the go-find-Odine tirade, that their ability to walk properly had slackened to mere shuffles. Still, they remained alert and vigilant as ever.

Rounding up on a corner, Seifer found himself yelling and jumping several centimetres from the squeaky clean floor, his gunblade swiftly unholstered when he nearly collided into Squall. Squall, taken-aback by the sudden appearance of Seifer and realising who he nearly sliced with his attack at the last minute, cursed loudly and put away his weapon. Fazed by the unexpected 'surprise', Seifer continued to grasp the butt of his gunblade, trying to steady his nerves and calm his furiously beating heart. He hated surprises.

"Fu..." he tried to say, but was still breathless. "Bl... The hell's wrong with you, Leonhart?!!" Seifer eventually managed to say, holding no feelings back.

The younger boy grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry?" he offered lamely and received a mutter and guttural growl from the older boy.

"Take it you guys weren't too successful either, huh?" Zell said, addressing Instructor Trepe and Irvine.

"Nothing, 'cept nearly gettin' sliced and diced by Mr. Lion-heart!!" Seifer growled.

"Hey, shush a sec!" Selphie said, silencing everybody with a gesture with her hands. They all shushed and listened, and heard.

"Looks like we got him," Irvine said grinning broadly. A nod from Squall sent everyone running in the direction of the insane giggling that ceased to stop. The game was up.

Odine could not stop himself, would not let him stop himself. He was basking in his triumph against those adolescent teens, and it felt good to laugh, to celebrate his glory against them. He paused for moment at a sudden thought, shrugged and discarded the minor worry and continued laughing like a raving lunatic - this time adding little skips and prances to highlight the happiness he was feeling. Happiness that instantly burst when the metal sliding door to his private laboratory exploded, and gave way upon impact with an Ultima spell.

Startled, the deranged doctor ceased his laughing and watched on with horror as the dust and metal debris from the explosion settled, and six silhouetted figures emerged all wearing pensive faces. Odine blinked once, then twice.

"How-?!" he began, then pulled himself short of showing his fear. How _is it possible? They cannot be alive. The set bomb, X-ATMO92... How?!_ he demanded crazily from himself.

"A laugh fest, and you never told us?!" Zell said in mock sadness.

"You wanted us to miss out on all the fun!" Irvine derided, pushing up the rim of his hat with the barrel of his Exeter.

"Infernal SeeDs!! SeeeeeeeeeeeDs!!! Kurse you SeeDs!!!" Odine raved madly and stamped his foot repeatedly.

"That's who we are, don't wear it out!" Selphie piped.

"You're one stuck bastard, you sorry son of a bitch, huh?" Seifer leered at him, enjoying the expression of fear on the eccentric scientist, almost as if someone had cast Break on him. The expression stuck. "Thought your dinky bomb, and dinky robot would get rid of us, eh?" _It nearly did,_ he reminded himself. "You've messed with the wrong bunch o' kids."

"Alright Odine, games up," Squall said, stepping towards the cowering doctor.

To this the short man cast a dangerous glare at them, one which contained an evil gleam. He scuttled backwards and produced a pocket device from his extremely baggy orange and blue stripped pants. Not giving the six teenagers time to react, Odine quickly flipped the casing to the device and rammed a finger at the red button that was revealed. Squall and co. watched on with silent horror and astonishment as the device triggered the opening of several unseen doors that were well hidden - their colour blending with the rest of the lab.

"This is not over yet!" Odine declared, getting behind a set of different control panels, and typing instructions into it furiously.

Squall eyed the slowly opening metal doors worriedly. What had Odine have in store for them now? More mechanical robots. If anything, the doctor looked mad as hell.

"Say hello to The End, miserable, meddling SeeDs!!"

"Whoo boy, he's pissed!" said Zell, stating the all too obvious.

"Hey... don't look now guys, he's brought major reinforcements!!" Irvine shouted over the loud stamp and rumble that followed; his hand pressed down onto his hat in the fear that he would lose it.

"Shit!!" Seifer cursed. He so did not like what was appearing from behind the secret doors.

"I told you not to look!!" Irvine snapped.

"A thing that big, it's pretty hard not to look!!" Seifer bit back.

"Uh, Squall? I think we're in serious trouble," Quistis said, tugging at the younger boy's black jacket.

__

What now?! "Double shit!!" Squall swore he couldn't help it. The situation had just become dire and things were not looking good.

"...The _hell_ did _they_ come from?!" Zell questioned his mouth open in aghast.

"The theme of today children: _RESURRECTION_!!! Give a heart-felt welcome to your deepest darkest, nightmares!!!!"

Quistis shrieked in terror at the sight of what only could be a very big mechanical spider lumbering towards her. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that when she next opened her eyes, the metal arachnid would be gone. Of course it didn't, which only led her to pray even harder than she possibly could imagine.

"We're seriously out numbered, man!!" Zell shouted over to Squall who was experiencing great difficulty in believing how many enemies they were going to have to fight.

"So we kill 'em," Seifer said simply.

__

Easier said that done, Squall thought grimly, surveying the chaos that was erupting before their very eyes. A Sphinxaur monster followed by Trauma, Tri-Point and Red Giant - the very monsters that Squall and his vigilant team of friends had fought and defeated in Ultimecia's Castle - loomed into view; that was when Squall began to worry.

"Make sure you have a good stock of high powered spells, and Aura and Meltdown!" Squall barked over the loud rumbling sounds. "Selphie, Zell, with me! Seifer, I'm counting on you!"

"No sweat!" Seifer returned, lacing his gloved fingers and stretching. Ready to rumble time.

"Lock 'n' load!" said Irvine raising his Exeter and taking off the safety catch as he readied himself for the big confrontation - a wave of thrill and excitement shooting through him.

With a single nod from Squall, the six of them were thrust into battle.

Automatically, the GF Odin was summoned into battle - not through the junction system, but randomly. A good thing it was too for Squall and his team. The spacious laboratory darkened and rain began to pitter-patter onto the linoleum. The clatter of thunder out of nowhere reverberated in the room and the clatter of horse hooves rose in the heat of battle. The Norse mythological god of war, wisdom and death rose from the sudden darkness that cloaked the lab, riding on his trusty eight-legged steed Sleipnir. Furls of smoke arose from the horse that breathed fire, its eyes ablaze: Odin had come to hunt.

Holding his mighty sword aloft, the Norse god charged with tremendous speed at the assailants, lunging with his sword and leashing his awesome Zantetsuken attack. Without a moment's hesitation, Odine hacked and sliced at the Red Giant and Tri-Point monsters whom Squall, Selphie and Zell had to face, reducing them to nothing more than ribbons of muscle and bones. This battle was over. Score one for SeeD! At least it made their job of eliminating the rest of the monsters easier. Or not.

The constant ringing from Irvine's Limit Break: Shot, using Pulse Ammo, resulting to Hyper Shot, hurt Seifer's ears. At his feet, the empty shells from the used up ammunition began to build up, as everyone of the bullets Irvine targeted, hit home into either of the two monster they were fighting. Silently Seifer watched, mentally criticising the cowboy's style and flare for battle.

With his turn up, Irvine took a step back, preparing himself for his next turn. Seifer was quick to hand out commands to ensure that this battle was a short and sweet one.

"Quistis, you Double on magic? Cast Meltdown on these pushovers, we got bigger fish to fry."

Defiantly, Quistis did not pay heed to the blond boy and instead went with her own instincts, instincts that she had homed and perfected through many years of experience at Garden and in the battlefield. Deliberating with herself on what Blue Magic she would use, Quistis finally let rip with a barrage of bullets in quick succession each after the other - it could only have been Gatling Gun. Quite efficient it was too, removing 9999 from the Spinxaur's HP, which was beginning to dwindle.

Furious, Seifer glared over at the instructor, who returned his glare with a cool sapphire stare of her own. When it came to decisions such as these, Quistis knew which choice to make.

Amongst the clang of metal and weaponry, they continued to fight.

Squall had left Selphie and Zell to finish off the Krysta monster they were fighting. He knew that they were more than capable of handling this beast, despite its tendency of countering every attack with a particular nasty one of its own. That was where the Limits came in. Checking to see that they were coping well in their battle, Squall was just in time to see Zell execute the My Final Heaven move, one of the attacks that had to be learnt, for his Limit Break: Duel. According to his opinion, Zell thought and found that it was one of the most difficult moves to perform - as well as the most visually stunning. This time Zell did manage to pull the attack flawlessly, and quick enough to sneak in a Burning Rave which concluded Krysta's worthless life. Luck was on their side for once.

Amidst the broil of battle, Odine had managed to escape to a far corner of the laboratory, seeking refuge.

For all his life was worth, Odine was nothing short of a coward. He hid underneath a table that was over flowing with electrical wires and bits of scrap metal with a look in his eyes that contradicted the big attitude he had just displayed. Hiding behind mummy's skirt was what he was doing, and he didn't mind. He admitted that he wasn't much of a fighter - he left that to the monsters - yet he was 'the brain' behind Ultimecia's masters plan, and he'd flaunt his brilliance for everyone to see.

He saw Squall disengage himself from battle and saw with a tremor of fear he was edging dangerously near his hiding spot. His crystal coloured blue eyes glinted with an air of sharpness, as Squall scanned the rubble of junk in front of him. No sign of the clown over there. Odine let out a sigh of relief and dabbed at his brow with the frilly sleeve of his clothing. Then he frowned and shook a fist at Squall's retreating back. "Kurse you! Kurse all you SeeDs!!" he muttered darkly, stopping briefly to regard the battle he was losing miserably. "And now for the Grande finale..." he whispered, pressing the hidden switch beneath the controller he held. A beam of infrared light zoomed up to the ceiling, making contact with an infrared sensor that sealed a secret chamber. With the chamber unlocked, a huge shake that sent the metal and pieces of junk atop the table he hid beneath, erupted, the hidden chamber giving way to something very big, something very, very big.

"What now?!!" Zell demanded furiously. He wanted to kick Odine's butt, but all the monsters he released were preventing him, the team, from doing just that. Stamping his foot in an enraged manner, Zell stood hands on his hips, unaware of trap door that was slowly opening above him. He ignored the falling bits of debris and rocks, holding his ground until he found out what was happening.

Seifer saw what was happening, he saw the gaping hole in the ceiling and didn't stop to ask questions. He'd do that once he was clear of the landing radius of whatever was going to come out of the chamber above him. Grabbing Quistis roughly by the hand, he pulled her and himself to safety, and yelled over to Zell who remained standing where he was like a sitting Chocobo, waiting to be flattened to a pulp.

"Dincht! Move your friggin' fat ass outta there!!" Seifer shouted, noticing with concern the steady and more constant fall of material from the ceiling. Still, Zell remained oblivious.

Irvine, more quicker to react - what with him being the "Best Shooter in Garden" - saw what Seifer was desperately trying to get across to the hot-dog loving boy. _He's gonna be a flat-dog if he doesn't move himself._ Irvine thought, tearing himself apart on whether he should take a chance and grab him from the centre. Except he was too far from Zell. There would be _two_ flattened Chocobos, one wearing an equably more flattened cowboy hat, if he attempted a running dive. Irvine was fast when it came to shooting, that he was confident of. When it came to the action hero type of thing _that _he left to the likes of Squall - who, despite all his skill as a mercenary, was the reluctant hero. Their fearless commander however was just as oblivious to what was happening around him as Zell was.

Clenching his jaw, and tightening his fist, Irvine Kinneas dragged Selphie by the hand to the other side of the laboratory, vowing never to forgive himself if Zell didn't survive.

Odine, with great anticipation watched with wide shining eyes at the increasingly resonating rocks and stones that were practically hailing down - and, for a fleeting moment, Odine thought the laboratory would cave in. He reminded himself that the rooms _couldn't_ cave in even if they desperately wanted to. Every single room, staircase in Lunatic Pandora was reinforced with a strong metal skeleton. Looking on, Odine witnessed three things happening, in what felt like slow motion: Squall yelling, Zell swearing, and a blur of white rushing at the person in the centre.

Squall, at the feeling of a fist sized rock brushing the back of his head, turned around and stared up with large blue eyes, in what could only be interpreted as fear. His head whipped away from the ceiling to where Zell was standing, his mind registering that he was in serious danger of be crushed to smithereens - in Selphie's matter of speaking. He screamed almost in reflex when he saw the big shadow cast over Zell's figure, each single heartbeat of his pounding as loud as his voice.

"ZELL!!!" Squall shouted.

At the same time, Zell looked up and instantly wished he hadn't. He swore, and froze in his place. What he saw was the underside of a seriously humungous beast rushing down towards him, and he thought he saw he life flash by in a brilliant white colour - when in fact he mistook the whirr of white for a grey/white trench-coat. And the flash of red, Zell thought he registered as his blood? No, that was simply the red of the cross-sword imprint on the coat.

Seifer's curse coincided with Zell's and almost laughed out loud at the insane act his was going to do, had not it been for the grave situation at hand. Shaking his blond head, Seifer left Instructor Trepe's side who had her gloved hands covering her eyes, and ran like he did against the clock in Deep Sea Research Facility.

__

If Dincht lives, if we both live, he is gonna owe me big time, were the thoughts that ran through the boy's mind upon diving at Zell and pushing them both clear of the descending monster that landed with a massive thudding sound that refused to end. Seifer felt something tear from the dive, immediately ignoring the trivial problem for later. Zell and Seifer continued to roll steadily away from the centre of the laboratory, until they slowed to a stop.

Rolling away, Seifer breathed heavily and began to laugh flat on his back. That was the second time he had saved somebody's life, and wondered whether he'd get an honorary medal or something, for that. _I'm too nice. Waay too nice, h_e told himself, a grin plastered across his face after he had finished laughing. _The instructor, then chicken?? Man that's two already! Who's gonna be next, Leonhart? The little messenger girl? Kinneas?_

Zell groaned. Seifer's dive may have saved him, but it also knocked the wind out of him too. He sat up coughing and sputtering as Squall and the others run to where he and Seifer lay. Bruised and scratched, but otherwise, still intact.

"Awe, man..." he groaned again, wincing at the pressure he applied to his knee. He wondered if he broke anything vitally important, if he had then that was him out of any upcoming battles. Dr. Kadowaki certainly wouldn't allow him out of the infirmary, until her say so.

"Zell, you OK-?" Squall began to ask as he hurried to his friend's side. _Duh! Does he look OK?! _He changed the question. "How bad are you hurting?"

"Uh... not too bad," he lied. "Kinda trying to get my breath back." After a while, Zell spoke again. "Seifer... saved me?" he asked, awkward as it may seem... for him.

"Yeah,"

__

Bastard! Now I'm gonna have to owe him.

"Yeah, I saved your miserable ass, chicken wuss," Seifer managed to drawl in his best arrogant voice. "You know the price to pay?"

The martial artist let a slow grin spread and collapsed into heavy laughter. _Subjected to being called a chicken wuss for the rest of my lifetime_?

"Nah, haven't thought of one yet. Tell ya when I think of a really good one.," said Seifer. His body hurt from the tumble and his head throbbed - he'd live. Quistis stood worriedly gazing down on him, and Seifer really did smile, to himself. _Now you've caught the admiration of yon fair lady,_ he mocked himself. Raijin and Fujin were going to give him a hard time once they found out.

"Uh, guys?" Selphie's edgy voice broke the relief everyone was feeling. Lately, Selphie appeared to be delivering more bad news than good. "I'm glad Zell's OK an' all, but... but I think we've got an even_ bigger_ problem to sort out." her finger pointed up and out. Everybody gasped.

Odine let out a burst of laughter at the sight of their paled coloured faces, all colour drained out of them. All because of what they were staring at. Gawking at, more like. Neither Squall or the others could tear their gaze away from the thing in front of them; they couldn't; wouldn't believe it. Odine laughed long and hard, clambered out of his hiding beneath the table and then collapsed onto the floor, laughing. They thought that they had won. Sphinxaura, Tri-Point, Krysta... they had defeated them, and they thought they had won. Fools. _Let us see how well they fare with this little beauty._ Little, Omega Weapon was not. Beautiful?! Uh-uh, definitely not. Big, strong and deadly, yes. Omega Weapon was strong and deadly, and didn't Squall and Co. know it - the two other SeeDs that had fought with him, anyway.

Standing at a whopping height of twenty feet or so, Squall felt like a midget cricket, standing there and looking. Shock must have overtaken their senses giving the effect of petrify, because they were, just that. Petrified. Omega Weapon wasn't the prettiest of monsters, geez, Adel was prettier and _that_ was saying something!

With its hulking mass, black/silver plated armour, wings attached to its upper torso, and bulging muscles Omega Weapon looked like a monster that mutated through being exposed to too much nuclear radiation - gamma rays causing it to turn it into the 'swamp thing' it were. Or even better, the end product of a genetic 'freak' experiment gone horribly wrong. One way or other, Omega Weapon was something nobody wanted in their nightmares.

"I thought we killed that thing!!" Zell said, his voice rising up a notch indicating the fear. Omega Weapon had been no pushover. And they were complaining defeating _Ultima_ Weapon was a problem with its problematic Light Pillar attack.

__

So did I... Squall thought, lapsing into thinking mode. _Unless..._

"Like my little creation?"

"_Mis_creation, more like," Irvine corrected flatly and sniggered at the angry look Odine shot him.

"Laugh all you want SeeD," Odine sneered. "Omega2 shall ensure all of you remain nothing but fragments of people's memories, loose pages in history books to be scattered and forgotten..."

"Yeah, yeah lovely imagery Doc Nothin' but a loada bull_shit_ 'cos we're not gonna be beaten!" Zell stated.

Squall didn't know what it was, but it felt like pride from being a SeeD that made him silently applaud Zell for his little speech. It was words such as these that helped bring the boost of extra confidence to a person whether a SeeD or Garden student, and to strive to meet personal goals. It was times such as these that Squall considered himself the luckiest person to have such great friends and the opportunity to prove your skills and have something to work towards.

"Hope then, _SeeD_ that you will not be swallowing your words, hmm?" Odine said. "Oh, I forgot. You wouldn't be able to _swallow_ your words anyhow. You'd all be dead. Omega, finish them!"

"I'm gettin' first strike," Seifer said. No arguments there. "Son of a bitch tore my coat. My _only_ coat."

"Selphie, Irvine, get Carbuncle and Alexander ready for your opening attack." Squall instructed while Seifer attacked with a dose of raining rocks from outer space. "Zell, on your turn cast Aura on me. Quistis-"

"Meltdown," she replied. Quistis knew the drill. The strategy they had used against Omega, the last time they met, proved to be quite successful. "What about you?"

"Two words," he said, his face showing no emotion when he said: "Lion Heart,"

Almost half an hour of battle and the good side were flailing with exhaustion. Squall had performed the Lion Heart attack four times already, coupled with two Gatling Guns, two Bloody Ceremonies, three rounds of Hyper Shots, and plenty of Mach Kicks, Dolphin Blows and Meteor Barrets from Zell. Odine must have boosted Omega's HP because it had already KO'd Selphie twice and Quistis once.

The Aura-Meltdown-Limit combo was a tried and tested strategy and worked quite effectively against most enemies. Except Omega Weapon couldn't exactly be categorised as being 'most enemies'.

Frowning, Squall vacantly stared at Selphie hurling an Ultima spell that exploded into a cloud rising green dust. He kept his eyes trained on the spunky auburn headed girl for a while, waiting for his mind to register why he was staring at her for so long. Knowing Selphie had been purely coincidental. After acquiring the two GFs Shiva and Quezacotl, Squall had a rendezvous with Instructor Trepe to visit the Fire Cavern. It was when he was rounding the corner to take the elevator to the first floor did he and collide, or rather _she_ collided into him - Selphie had missed registration and needed assistance in locating the various facilities.

Not wanting to be discourteous and not wanting to keep the instructor waiting, Squall was obliged to take the emerald-eyed girl to the first floor and to the Directory, complete with a slightly rushed explanation. He did not see Selphie again not until the Dollet mission where she played messenger girl from Squad A. 'I'm...a messenger. Name's Selphie, from Squad A.' Participating and accompanying Squall and Zell to the mission assigned to them at the town of Timber could be called the point in which her fate as a SeeD and her friendship with Squall, was sealed.

His vision blurred and then the answer that he had been seeking struck him abruptly like a blow to the solar plexus. Squall called her name and she turned to his call. Slicing Omega with an attack from his gunblade, he retreated, yelling to her over the sound of Irvine's shots. His voice failed to carry its message over to where she stood. Omega delivered a devastating blow to Seifer who collapsed in a prostrate position.

"Instructor! Get a Full-life on Seifer, stat! Selphie?!"

"Yep, Squall?!" she said, her Strange Vision pulled taught in her grasp ready to attack.

"Your Limit!"

"What about it?!"

He wanted to scream in frustration! Selphie's ignorance of her Limit Break's capabilities wasn't helping to ease the tension that was building in him. If they didn't act now, if they didn't deliver the killing blow _now_ and end this tiresome battle, Omega was going to strike, and then it would be Game Over for all of them. Omega... Odine... Ultimecia... they would win.

"Dammit! Irvine cast Aura on her," Irvine obeyed, the yellow/orange hue of the spell engulfing Selphie, tingeing her in that colour. "Selphie, use your Limit Break!!"

"Which one do you-" she began saying and then stopped in mid-sentence, finally catching Squall's drift. "_Oh_! _That_ one!"

"Selphie, just do it!!" Zell said, watching fearfully at Omega who looked like it was about to target Zell next with its lethal attack.

"Gotcha!" the girl said. Winking, Selphie out-stretched her arms, weapon in hand. She joined together the two rods of her weapon in a ritual fashion, had one of the rods one on top of the other. Turned them at an angle of 180 degrees so that they were vertical, 90 degrees until they were horizontal. Then in the loudest voice, a small girl like Selphie could do, she shouted at the top of her lungs two words: "The End!!"

Chapter Eighteen - Putting a Spell on You

Luck was seriously on their side. Selphie relied on luck as much as anybody, perhaps even more since her The End attack came randomly and the chances of her being able to use the attack boosted through junctioning magic to Luck. Her voice echoed in the room, and even when she had finished selecting the attack she wanted to the use, the scenery began to shift in real-time action. The dark, dank, oppressive atmosphere of Lunatic Pandora, almost as if someone was changing the background in a theatre production. The change in surroundings was more surreal than a change of scenes in a theatre. In Squall's line of sight, the very walls appeared to be blurring, smudging at the edges. And then the six of them were not in Odine's laboratory any more. They were in an open field, surrounded by miles upon miles of vast green fields containing pink and white flowers.

A gentle breeze stirred the quiet bliss they had entered, making the flowers dance and releasing pink and white petals into the air, falling back down to the grass like dancing, swirling confetti. Squall caught a white petal in mid-swirl and clutched it in a black-gloved hand before another wave of gentle breeze swept it away again. _Rinoa..._ Clenching his jaw was the only thing that was keeping him from breaking down. Squall could not rid himself of the guilt that somehow he was to blame for letting Rinoa fall into the wrong hands so easily. After a year without Rinoa - then finally seeing her once again... it was damn frustrating! And it hurt.

Concentrating on the battle, Squall looked up to see Omega Weapon and its hulking weight and size in the field that represented the nicer things in life. Its presence there was like a bad colour scheme, the ink blotch in a neatly written letter. It needed sorting out - it had to be removed. Sure Squall's Renzokuken/Lion Heart attack caused a devastating effect, and sure Quistis' Blue Magic/Degenerator was unwelcome news for your regular Island nearest to Heaven/Hell monsters etc etc. But when it came to the mother of monsters, the one on the very top of the monster pyramid sittin' on the throne and wearing the crown? Well, only thing to do was bring in the 'big guns'. And not the sort Irvine handled either.

Nah. If you had something big and mean to deal with, you parry and counter every attack and then finish off with something equably as a strong and powerful. For mega butt-ugly monsters like Omega Weapon the best attack was always saved for last.

Mouth hanging, eyes staring aghast, Odine couldn't believe what he was seeing! Omega Weapon, the most powerful beast known was being removed from battle by some small girl, a SeeD!! After a year of thorough research and gathering the necessaries to complete his genetic replication of one of the finest Weapons, his year's work was dissolving before his very eyes. He wanted to scream, wanted to hurl, stamp his feet angrily and throw a tantrum like a spoilt brat. Anything to get rid of the building rage, the building pressure inside of him. Odine kicked at the table he had hid beneath, yowling like a dog when his foot connected to the leg.

Experience points all round and AP for the GF's. Everyone was happy. That was except of course, a certain flustered, cursing, pissed off doctor who remained thrashing wildly about him even when the scenery faded and changed back to the familiar surroundings of the laboratory. The six young fighters looked at each other amused. Their victory poses after winning the battle - or rather Selphie, who had delivered the killing blow - was something they all agreed, was satisfying to do. Selphie and Zell, the more enthusiastic members of the group abandoned their regular poses and went with what they felt was more of an 'appropriate' battle pose - a fully-charged, electrifying high-five slap of hands, not forgetting the very immature hoots and yells of winning a victorious battle. It was immature, so what? They had just won one of the most difficult battles against one of the hardest monsters to defeat.

The doctor was definitely happy _not_ - in fact, was that a headache he felt coming on? Upon their approach he glowered at them, avoiding contact and constantly scowling at the floor.

"C'mon Odine, it's over. Your plans and Ultimecia, it's finished. Why don't you quit now while you're still ahead of yourself-" Squall said to the little man.

"You don't understand!!" Odine snarled ferociously at him. "_She_ wouldn't be happy. _She_ will not be satisfied until I have carried out her bidding, her plans for the future."

__

So, Odine had taken over Seifer's job as Ultimecia's lapdog.

Zell rudely grunted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Awe, come _off_ it man! What future? A future made o' clouds? We already trashed your monsters, annihilated Mr. Butt Ugly. It's over. Face it."

"She persists,"

"Persists my _ass_!" Zell said, knocking down Odine's pitiful excuses with a flick. From previous experience, Squall knew Zell was straining over the limit barrier. Something nasty was going to happen. "Who persists? Ultimecia? Where is she? I don't see her anywhere. Her over _there_?" he said, pointing to the glass casement that held the body of the powerful sorceress. "_Her_?"

"Zell," Squall warned in a low voice.

"She don't even blink her damn eyes!" Zell continued.

"Shut-up, Dincht!" Seifer ordered. Like a puppy, Zell obeyed. He knew he went overboard - stopping was the problem.

"Any more surprises for us, Odine?" Quistis inquired coolly.

"Surprises? With what he sprung on us? The bomb back then? the monsters and Omega? Whoo! Surprises are _not_ my friend!" Irvine stated.

"Perhaps a few..." the doctor said, strangely smiling at Seifer in particular.

Seifer didn't like that... weird smiles from wackos like Odine always meant something bad. He'd wipe that smile off with the blade of his weapon... The opportunity never came, a funny sensation, something cold and dense was pressing against his head. Seifer shook it from side to side to get rid of it, but it still persisted despite his efforts to clear it. The blond boy frowned - his brows bunched together in an intense way. He lifted a gloved hand and pressed it against his forehead. He grunted and let his gunblade fall to the floor with a clatter. The pressure was beginning to hurt...

"Seifer... what's wrong?" Quistis asked, bending down beside him to read his expression.

"Argh! It's, it's..." his voice trailed and fell to the floor on both knees.

"What did you do, you schizo?!" Zell demanded.

"Nothing he did not do unto himself," Odine replied.

"Yeah, and that's what, translated into English?" said Zell without missing a beat.

"You're saying it's his own fault for being here?" Irvine interpreted a frown on his own appearing on his forehead.

"That is precisely what I'm saying,"

"What do you mean?" Selphie asked perplexed. "Seifer didn't do anything wrong... did he?"

"Nothing wrong," Odine agreed. "Ask him how he's feeling. He knows what iz happening to him."

"Seifer?" Selphie asked tentatively.

"No..." Seifer mumbled, holding his head with two hands. "Not... again..."

"Stop it!" Squall ordered, knocking the doctor to the ground in the hope that whatever was tormenting Seifer, would stop.

"Go away..."

__

Seifer, my knight... why do you resist me?

"I think he's lost it," Irvine said worriedly.

__

Oh, my loyal knight, Seifer. The sorceress is alive... The sorceress demands.

"Leave me alone you witch!" he shouted his arms flying blindly around him, fighting an invisible force. "Get outta my mind... I'm not going to listen to you... I won't let you deceive me... ever... again."

"It's her!" Squall realised, grabbing Odine by his unusual ruff and raising him from the ground. "Ultimecia's trying to reach out to him. Trying to control him. Isn't she? _Isn't_ she?" Squall repeated when the scientist refused to respond.

"Yes!"

"Fight her, Seifer," Quistis urged him as he continued to shout to the person invading his thoughts, his mind.

"Instructor Trepe, better restrain him to be on the safe side. We know what he can do." Squall advised. Still holding Odine.

The strawberry blond headed girl nodded, undid the clasp that held her Save the Queen whip and tied Seifer's hands behind him.

"We'll sort this out permanently!" Zell said, striding over to the glass casement that housed the body of Ultimecia. "All we gotta do is destroy her; then she can't reach out to anybody anymore."

"Zell, wait!" Squall called. He turned to Odine, pupils dilated. "You've set up some trap, haven't you?"

"Trap? No trap," Odine replied innocently.

"We've killed all the monsters you've thrown at us, and toasted Omega Weapon. Something's up. We're spoiling your plans and you don't look too concerned about it."

The doctor shrugged his shoulders and adjusted the ruff on his neck. The breaking of glass caught all of their attention; gazes were redirected to where Zell stood pummelling the glass casement containing the sorceress.

"The problems started 'cos o' you," the boy said sending another punch at the glass, increasing the length of the crack that had formed. "Y'know, if you were bored, you could always throw a sorceress' party - uh, maybe not," the thought of sorceresses from different eras coming to boogie on down with Ultimecia was too freaky to imagine. A horde of sorceresses uniting to seek vengeance certain SeeDs from the present, was something Zell did not want to happen. "Or, or you could take up cooking..." _she'd probably poison everyone, or even greater, herself! _"Or, you could play with your monsters. Y'know, enemy death-match sorta thing. Whoever's still alive at the end of the match, is the winner!" Zell's long-winded talk on handling personal boredom did not end there. Pausing for a breath and another chance to punch at the glass, Zell continued on a graver note. "It's not our fault you're all alone in the future, in your oppressive dinky fortress with nothing to rule over. You wanna spread some havoc? You wanna play Ms-control-freak? Then do it in your own world! Don't come trashing other people's lives and homes just 'cos you wanna. Certain people like _us_ aren't gonna let ya!"

"Uh, Zell? You done with your lecture?" Squall inquired when the martial arts expert had ended his little tirade, and the sound of glass cracking stopped.

Zell turned looking sheepish. He went and scratched the back of his head with a hand, a self-conscious grin on his face. "Yeah, sure, Squall. Sorry, got carried away."

Selphie raised a hand to smother the smile and the laugh that threatened to expose her very _un_serious attitude to the situation. Still, a kind of amused smile was tugging at the corner of Squall's lips. The ghost of a smile faded - the attention was now focused on Odine who had attempted to escape unnoticed.

Zell turned, "Where you going?!" Zell demanded.

"Out of this laboratory, away from you." The doctor replied his chin raised in a defiant gesture.

"Sorry, can't do that," Squall said. "We're keeping you with us."

"It does matter anyhow," Odine said. "My part in all this is almost done.

"And you're gonna get what, huh? Nada, zip," Zell said answering the question for him**.**

"On the contrary _SeeD_, I shall be receiving a bountiful reward," Odine corrected. "Though I cannot take all the credit like I should, I _am_ having some help." He lifted a finger and pointed past Squall's shoulder.

Seifer had somehow managed to break free from his tied position on the floor where he had been sitting. He now was striking at the half-finished job Zell had abandoned, with the butt of his gunblade.

Quistis nearly fainted at the sight of her weapon; she bit back a mounting rage and blinked back angry tears. She focused all her anger at the back of her mind, telling herself not to lose control. But it was hard. It wasn't easy. _Four sharp spikes_, she told herself, _four energy crystals and two Malboro tentacles_. Collecting those items had not been an easy task - but neither was saving the world. Something deep inside her was waiting to be unleashed, and by the day was through she'd let everybody know no one messed with Quistis Trepe - and _no_ one ever trashed her weapon and discard it like crap. Quistis valued her weapon as much as she was sure Squall valued his gunblade, Selphie, her nanchaku, Irvine and his shotgun, and Zell with his fighting gloves.

Squall, Zell, Irvine and Selphie stood and watched in mute, shocked silence. Watching as Quistis picked up the two pieces of her weapon and stared with disbelief down at them, her eyes blinking rapidly. Zell gulped, he couldn't help but feel Instructor Trepe was going to lose her cool and lash out - well, not literally, she couldn't do that right now - but say something abusive.

She glanced up at her team-mates, they took an involuntary step back at her glare. She glanced back at Seifer who continued to hack effortlessly at the glass.

Zell turned to Odine, "How thick is that thing?"

"It iz what has to be done," Odine replied cryptically.

__

It iz what has to be done, Zell mimicked scathingly to himself. _What language are you speaking in, man?_ "Heeey, wait a minute!" Zell began, beginning to sound more like Selphie. "When Seifer cracks that open, something bad iz, uh, I mean, is gonna hap-" he was cut off in mid-sentence by the interruption of another voice, who had such venom her words, that an Antidote was sure to do very little to cure the poison.

"You jerk!!" Quistis yelled out Seifer, her body shaking uncontrollably. Every single word targeted at Seifer who had his back to her - still totally engrossed in getting the casement opened. She tightened her hold on the remnants of what was once a Save the Queen, and flung the two pieces - striking Seifer across the back with a whip cracking sound.

Selphie gasped, the boys winced and exchanged uncomfortable expression. They were glad Quistis was not venting all her anger at them. Seifer turned, their eyes meeting. Blue steel clashing with blue steel.

"You, you jerk!" Quistis repeated like a petulant little girl, screaming at the 'naughty' boy who had removed the head from her favourite doll. To Quistis her Save the Queen _was_ her doll. "Look what you've done?!" she pointed savagely at the whip sliced in two. "_Two_ Malboro tentacles, _four_ sharp spikes and _four_ energy crystals."

Squall thought he saw a nerve jump in her jaw - sure that he had seen right because Quistis repeated the items that was needed to upgrade the normal chain whip to the stronger, more powerful Save the Queen, this time her voice was low and sounding extremely deadly. Good thing her weapon was no longer intact because Squall was sure Quistis would use it.

"Do you know how _hard_ it was to get those items? Those energy crystals?"

They could all relate. Their most powerful weapons required some sort of item that was hard to obtain. Boy could Squall relate. One Adamantine from an Adamantine monster to upgrade to a Lion Heart, when all it ever gave him was crappy junk he didn't need. And four dragon fangs from a Blue dragon or a Hexadragon that hardly showed itself when Squall wanted it to appear the most.

Something wavered behind the sapphire of Quistis' eyes that stirred that funny feeling Seifer felt whenever he was with her - he could feel Ultimecia's control slipping away - for a moment he was himself again. "Quistis, I-" he started to say, stopping short when his blue eyes misted over and his true self was thrust to one side to let Ultimecia take control again.

Instructor Trepe must have forgotten it was still Seifer in the flesh, and a sub-conscious form of Ultimecia controlling his mind because a raging fire engulfed her soul, causing her to - with considerable strength - pushing Seifer a good two metres back, his spine connecting with the cracked glass. Her blue eyes widen in shock and astonishment at her violent display; a gloved hand raised to cover her slightly parted mouth. Squall and the others ran to her side, but she ignored them and continued to stare worriedly at the slumped figure, head bent forward.

She raised her eyes to meet Squall's and whispered, "What have I done?" 


	10. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

Resurrection - part nineteen

Chapter Nineteen - Puppets on Strings

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Crick. Crick. The crack on the glass casement grew, creeping upwards and downwards leading the cylindrical to split in the centre in a jagged slanting line, teetering backwards and then finally crashing to the ground, shattering into a million sharp shards. No amount of super-glue was going to get those pieces back together again. Casting Protect saved Seifer from becoming like a Death Claw's handiwork, the glass bouncing harmlessly from the shield that deflected them with every contact.

Above, the tall elegant figure of what _had_ been an extremely powerful sorceress stood solid. Squall half expected her eyes to flock open in an eerie fashion, and half expected her body to come toppling down on top of Seifer's fallen figure. Ultimecia's body did neither.

What did happen instead was, a haze of purple light emerged from the centre of her upper torso, forming a white ball of white, tinged with purple ionised energy. The ball of energy hovered momentarily in mid-air, like it was indecisive of something. On the ground, Seifer stirred. A scratch from a flaw of glass, the Protect spell had not managed to guard him against, grazed across his right cheek.

The ball of white light did not linger longer, seeming to notice that Seifer was reviving and in control of his mind and body. It hesitated again, glided towards Selphie and hovered in front of the girl's face. The light backed away from the nanchaku wielding SeeD, darting towards the instructor teacher who was eyeing it with equal suspicion and curiosity.

Without warning, the light disappeared in between her ribs, diffusing, coursing throughout her body when none of it could be seen any more. No sound escaped Quistis' lips; she closed her eyes and shuddered at the cold sensation that was seeping into her fingertips and into her toes. It felt odd, it didn't feel right. She wanted to bail out, but this thing wouldn't let her.

"What happened?" she heard Squall ask Odine when she gently rose a centimetre or two into the air, her eyes remaining closed. "That ball of light, what was it?"

"Ah, Squall, we gotta do something. It was her!" Irvine said, the pupil of his eyes widening. "That, that purple thing was Ultimecia!"

"Lay off it Irvine!" Zell said, throwing an exaggerated doubtful expression.

"It _is_ her," Irvine insisted. "Isn't it?" he turned to the doctor who smiled an estranged smile that caused him to shudder. _I'll take that as a yes._ "Ultimecia's trying to inhibit another body," Irvine went on with his theory.

"What's wrong with her own?" Selphie asked.

"From the beating we gave it when we fought her? I'm not surprised Ultimecia wants to find another body to crash out in. That body there?" he nodded at the looming frame inside the smashed glass casement. "That's just a temporary vessel till a suitable one is found. The physical part of a person, or anything that breathes, is the spirit, the soul. That's what counts - the thing that makes you, you. You're very essence. Her spirit must've taken a beating with the battle with us; otherwise it's still intact. Now's she's trying to find a new host."

A clap startled the cowboy finding the doctor applauding him on his theory. "Very good, SeeD. Have you ever thought of entering the field of science and research?"

What? And become like you? No thanks... mustn't disappoint the ladies. He grinned, faked a sad smile and shook his head. "Alas, I get the impression that the life of a SeeD and shooter is where my destiny lies."

"But, she tried to go after me," Selphie said. "She didn't try to-"

"Probably 'cos you're too small, Selphie," Zell suggested.

"Zell!!"

"What? Maybe it's true. Or maybe 'cos you're too lively; y'know, active. Maybe she wouldn't be taken seriously enough in you're body."

"So you're saying _I'm_ not serious enough?" she said, hands on her hips with an eyebrow raised.

Would you think I'd be lying if I said yes? "Don't take it the wrong way, Selph! No, I mean that, uh, y'know... y'know... you've got such an open face and everything." Zell quickly said. "If, if you look at Adel, yeah, well hell anyone would think she was all business, 'cos y'know... she's not exactly the best looking person."

"OK." said Selphie, satisfied with the reply.

"Kurse you SeeDs!" Quistis spat, her face pulled into a feral grin.

"Whoa!" Zell said not intending to say so out loud, but did anyway. Where her blue eyes were meant to be were now a white light and purple. One word to describe her appearance: freaky.

"You try to interfere as always! Diverting the course of what is meant to be!!" Ultimecia cackled through Quistis' lips, and felt the girl resist her control. _Do not make futile attempts, SeeD._ She told her, _they are useless against me. In this body of yours I am able to take on the world!!_ Another evil laugh followed.

Zell stole a sideward glance at Squall, shrugged and did a rotating motion next to his right temple. _Loopy,_ his face read.

Squall couldn't agree more, frankly didn't know what to do. How were they suppose to lure Ultimecia out of Instructor Trepe's body without harming Quistis herself? _I hate this leader thing, I hate making these tough decisions, _he said to himself.

Ultimecia raised a slender, high-cut gloved arm and pointed at Selphie.

"Selphie, man, she's pointing at you," Zell said to her.

"I can see that," Selphie returned. "What'cha think she's gonna do give me the Evil Eye?"

"This isn't a joke!" Squall said sternly.

"Who said I was joking," she returned, all innocence.

"Keep your eyes diverted!" Irvine instructed. "I don't like the way she's staring at you."

Quistis' mouth opened and mumbled a torrent of words in Latin, continuing to stare at Selphie. She turned the hand from a pointed finger to an open palm and beckoned the girl in the pale orange dress to come to her. Selphie paid heed and did so, her steps no longer containing the zest of life she always had, rather like a sleepwalker's step - zombie like.

"Uh-uh," Zell shook his head and came forward to take her by the waist, stopping her from getting any nearer to Ultimecia. "Selphie, she's gonna screw you."

The swift uppercut punch to the jaw caught the boy with the obscure tattoo on his right cheek in astonishment. Zell stepped away, massaging his jaw, opening his mouth and moving his jaw to check that it was still in place and not dislocated.

"Geez, Selphie," Zell muttered, releasing his hold and stepping away. "Didn't know you could pack a punch like that."

"No!" Quistis cried out, managing to find her voice to speak. "Stop it! Leave them alone!" then she was lost again.

"You OK?" Irvine asked, placing a hand on Zell's shoulder.

"Shut up, man!" he snapped, rubbing at the sore spot where Selphie had whumped him. He shrugged the hand off his shoulder roughly and took a step away as if in disgust.

"Hey, just asking if you're OK," Irvine said creasing his brow and making a 'humph' sound.

"Does it look like I'm _OK_?" Zell inquired acidly, jerking at the redness of his jaw. "You call that _O-K_?"

"I was asking, no need to get hyped up about it!!" Irvine flared angrily. What was wrong with showing your concern for anyone?

"Well I'm _NOT_ OK, OK? Happy now? Has that answered your question?" Zell half shouted in irritation and anger. "I'm _not_ OK 'cos I got bashed in the face by a chick _I_ thought was Selphie!"

"Cool it you guys," Squall intervened, stepping between the two before a battle ensued between the two SeeD members. "We gotta-"

"Butt out of this, Squall," Irvine said, pushing the other boy aside to gain a better view of Zell's head.

"Who do you think you are!!" Squall snarled, pushing Irvine back with a shove that sent the cowboy reeling three steps backwards.

"Irvine Kinneas!" he retorted with a sullen smirk, his Exeter out, ready to do some damaged.

"Give it your best shot," Squall taunted scornfully, drawing out his gunblade in an act of male bravado that nobody saw other than Odine who had that amused look on his face. "Like the pun?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm in hysterics," the cowboy derided. "Say good bye to your life, Squall."

"Say _hello_ to your funeral, Kinneas," returned Squall, cracking a sinister smile while a finger was on the trigger waiting for the right moment.

Ouch, was the first thought that came to Seifer's mind when he tried to move his body. The pain hurt, though bearable and he winced every time the pain hammered on a nerve ending. He could hear voices shouting and chilling laughter. He couldn't see because he had a pounding headache that caused a not fully focused image. It was all blurry like smudged paint that Seifer squinted against the fluorescent light bulbs trying to sharpen the image.

Quistis and her pink outfit came into view when his memory came flooding back. She had pushed him against the glass knocking the wind out of him. He was out for a few minutes until the screeching roused him from his comatose state, riling his already throbbing head.

Mind control, Seifer guessed. _Very clever manipulative mind control. Deceiving witch! The witch bitch!_ That made Seifer grin. He groaned from the effort of smiling, rolled to his side and levered himself up into a semi-standing position. _Geez Quistis!_ He pressed a hand to his right rib, squeezing his eyes shut at the pain. _Bruise there, no doubt, another one on my back. Great. Clouted by a girl._ By Quistis. Falling for the girl was one thing, _battered_ by her - _that_ was a different thing all together.

He heard the chicken shouting in his all too loud voice as he always did - Zell had always intrigued Seifer, in the sense that he had an affinity to make him see red. _'Cos you're hot headed like he is, Almasy_, he told himself_._ _Oh _yeah_._

Raising his head too fast had been a wrong move for the blond boy. The room began to spin slightly, the background blurring to a mess. _It feels like I'm having a bad hangover, a very bad one. Probably look like an utter mess. Great, great, great, great. _He stumbled groggily to the right, his arms outstretched to grab something to help steady himself._ I feel like shit_, he told himself. _I look like shit. Hey, whadya know I'm even talkin' shit!_ Hangover wasn't quite the word to define Seifer's sways and stagger - more of a pissed-like-hell condition 'cept no alcohol involved. _Now when was the last time I went to a bar or pub for a drink...?_

"You think you're Mr. Big, don'tcha?" Irvine said, eyeing Squall up from top to bottom. "Just 'cause you're Mr. Leader. Butt kisser!"

"Pathetic," Squall spat. "Least I don't wear some goofy hat that gets more insults than Zell ever does."

"Whatcha sayin' 'bout me?" Zell demanded, taking Squall by the furred lapel of his jacket.

"Nuthin'," he said shortly, backhanding Zell away.

Irvine made a sound of disgust and glared at the dark headed boy. "You've got an ego the size of Alexander!"

"_That's_ meant to be big? If my ego is _that_ big, then your ego is even bigger! It's as big as the Presidential Palace in Esthar! Probably even bigger."

"Don't cuss Alexander! Take what you said back, Kinneas!" Zell said, interrupting their row to come to the defence of his GF. "He's junctioned to me ya know!"

"Make me," Irvine stubbornly challenged.

The hotdog lovin' boy shrugged, slumping his shoulders in a resigned gesture and shook his head in mock sorrow. "Oh, well. Looks like I'm gonna have to punch you're face in. Nobody disses any of _my_ GFs without coming through me. Remember before you blackout and have amnesia: you asked for it." the speech over, Zell drew his hand back and rushed at the cowboy.

Ultimecia was truly pleased, standing at arms length to admire her handiwork. Mind control was such an affective thing to use, it had a result of a collapsing set of dominoes. A little nudge to encourage movement and the rest was done automatically. What she had succeeded in doing was turning the SeeDs against each other. Their disputes and irrational bickering was what she enjoyed the most, knowing that these very teenagers, these young people were the closest of friends who depended on each other in battle, in life and in friendship. _Friendship?!_ Ultimecia scorned in her mind. What was friendship when you had power? _Yes, power..._ Power meant superiority, superiority meant obedience from _non_superior subjects. Subjects, being the people of the world and SeeDs. The Selphie girl was by her feet - Quistis' feet - kneeling to its master in reverence and fear. _The way it should be,_ Ultimecia thought with grim satisfaction. _These SeeDs are nothing. Insignificant nothings!_

She had power, not very strong; still enough to confuse the mindless SeeDs against one another. They had no idea. No idea at all! Weakness was not an option. Ultimecia despised weakness, it led to incapabilities, it made you a 'liability', and it showed lack of power and authority. This world needed a figurehead, one who would rule such a world of disarray. They needed her supremacy, even if she had to force her way to the top.

"Hold it!" Irvine ordered at the sight of Zell charging towards him, hands high, ready to do damage. A sudden thought, which hadn't occurred to him before, came to mind. Zell refused to stop and kept on going at the cowboy, ignoring his orders. "I said hold it!!" Irvine yelled, bringing the barrel of his Exeter level with Zell's eyes.

Zell skidded to a stop, his eyes dropping to the weapon Irvine held in his hand, he thought better and retracted his fists - for now.

"Alexander's _my_ Guardian Force," the cowboy accused to the martial artist. "Alexander's junctioned to me, you moron!"

"Wa-, hang on, but I thought-" Zell screwed up his face, frowning at the accusation held against him. After a pause he spoke, guilt scrawled over his boyish features. "Oops, my bad." He shrugged and turned away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Irvine grasped him by the shoulders and spun him round. "Accusing me of dissing a GF that's junctioned to me."

"Then it's even worse coming from you, isn't it?!" Zell sarcastically replied, pushing the other boy away from him. "Nice thing going with your GF. What're trying to do? Start a mutiny with your Guardian Forces?!"

"The fu-, you don't even know what you're saying, Dincht! Alexander is my GF, Alexander is junctioned to me..." Irvine stopped shortly, muttered something unintelligible, then fell silent.

"Ha! See, you're in the wrong, asshole!" Zell said, dancing around him in circles. "You cussed you're own GF, and you're blaming me for your own stupidity!!"

"Ah, shut the hell up!" Irvine grumbled. "Sorry Alexander," he muttered quietly to his GF, hoping that the Guardian Force wouldn't hold any grudges against him if summoned.

Pandemonium was everywhere! Everybody was fighting crazily, irrationally, the same effect Berserk had on a person in battle. You had no control over your actions, couldn't summon, couldn't cast magic, all you did was attacked, attacked and attacked some more. Seifer had always thought either Instructor Trepe or Squall would be the ones to keep their cool, to not lose their heads - judging from the current state of them now, it seemed that he was the only one who wasn't eager to throttle someone in the throat. _Yes, it certainly appears that way, Almasy. And you're gonna have to do something before the word_ SeeD _becomes obsolete. Pity, I could've strangled Dincht and pretend it was the witch's fault._

Scrambling to his feet, Seifer located his gunblade to the far left of him. Odine, underneath his shelter-table enjoyed the performance Squall and Co. were putting up for him that he didn't notice a grey coat flutter by. Ultimecia was too busy toying with Quistis and Selphie to notice Seifer scrabble for the remains of Quistis Save the Queen weapon, the very same whip she had flung at him not long ago. A glance up in Odine's direction told Seifer that the doctor was pretty much occupied. _And do you want popcorn with your front row seat of entertainment?_ He asked in his mind, seeing Odine clap his hands we glee. _Pitiful little psycho, I'll get you later._

The pieces of Quistis' weapon were held in his hand. Seifer wondered for a moment on his next course of action. What he intended to do with the Save the Queen, how to stop this out of control fray that was going to result in deaths if Ultimecia's hold on them was not released, he didn't know. Seifer couldn't injure her; Ultimecia was, after all in Quistis' body. _First her whip, then causing her bodily harm, uh-uh, think of a different idea, Almasy. One that_ doesn't _require anyone getting hurt. Gee, how do I figure this one out?!_

For a few still moments, the blond boy crouched still in his place in the shadows, arguing with himself whilst watching Ultimecia toying with everyone - the puppeteer controlling the puppets on their string. _Bet she's getting a real kick out of this_, he thought, winding the two pieces of the whip around in each hand, tightening them enough to hurt. What to do?

"Irvine's an asshole! Irvine's an asshole!" Zell had been chanting the same three words over and over again for the past three minutes, and Irvine had just about enough. He felt stupid; he didn't need to be reminded of his error every second! Luckily, Squall was the one who ordered Zell to 'shut the hell up!' and not him.

"I said shut the hell up!!" Squall growled angrily. There were limitations to his patience, with his patience running out on the expense of one loud-mouthed kung fu fighter!

"Shut up yourself! What I say is more than you ever say at all!" Zell fired back with his own spark of anger. "Better than 'whatever...' and 'whatever, that...' and 'whatever, this...'"

"Are you takin' the piss?"

"Who else says 'whatever...' like you do- _OW_?!!" Zell yelled, whirling round in the direction of where the object had struck him behind the head. "Irvine, was that you?!"

"What?! Don't get me started again!" the cowboy returned.

"Hey, chicken wuss!!" Seifer's voice came loud and clear over the silence that elapsed. He stood on top a pile of scrap metal, hefting a rock slightly smaller than his fist. "It was me,"

Ultimecia saw red and screeched. The boy was cutting short her fun, she would not allow her moment of triumph in coming this far to end so soon. Her attention averted the control she had placed on the SeeDs weakened and slackened. At her feet, Selphie fell to a heap by her side; exhausted at the energy Ultimecia had worn out of her. The three boys glanced about them wearing puzzled faces. Irvine holding his Exeter in his hand, asking himself why he had it out. Zell still wore a hint of anger on his face, relaxing his brow there and then and whipping his head from side to side in confusion.

Anticipating her next move, Seifer ducked out of harms way from the Ultima spell she hurled at where he was standing - barely missing his sailing coat.

"Not the coat!" he shouted at her. "Omega tried to shred it, I don't need a cranky chick like you to incinerate it!"

"Who's being cranky?" Zell joked at the wrong time.

"Instead of standing there, move your butt and help out!" Seifer snapped casting Thunder and directing it inches before Quistis' feet. Ultimecia shrieked angrily, hopping madly to escape the crackling of thunder beneath her feet.

"Insolent boy!" the sorceress within Quistis said, "you shall pay dearly for your trouble." another heavy dose of high level magic was blasted at every spot Seifer landed on, each time her aim becoming closer to his target.

Blindly Seifer cast Firaga, estimating where Ultimecia stood, missing within an inch of frying the girl's hair. _Ooh, she is_ not _gonna like me for_ that, Seifer told himself risking to take a peek.

Drawing her arm back, Quistis was prepared to surprise her 'knight' with a deadly Molotov cocktail of her reserved powerful spells finding that she was not able to bring her arm forward to obliterate the scoundrel who used to be so loyal to her. Something snagged her wrist, preventing her from doing harm. The eerie purple of her eyes blazed with ferocity not even Quistis possessed - or was conscious of. Irvine cocked his head to one side and grinned at the sorceress. With one hand he held his cowboy hat in firm position whilst with the other he held the end to the crude lasso he had fashioned using discarded electrical cable he had rooted amongst the other junk that lay inside the laboratory.

"I don't usually catch my women this sorta a way," he joked, "but some are so darn stubborn, I have to resort to this."

"You're diminutive hold shall not be particularly effective against the likes of me, SeeD!" Quistis' voice boomed, her rose coloured mouth pulling back into a truly evil, feral grin resulting in Irvine loosening his hold on the cable cord.

That wasn't Instructor Trepe, was it? he wondered, mouth agape in worry and fear. Quistis laughed harshly, yanking at the lasso out of his grasp.

Irvine was not going to let their opportunity to free Quistis of Ultimecia so easily. The flying cable sailed towards her - what she had not anticipated was the cowboy to not give up so easily. Irvine lunged after the loose end of the cord, regaining possession of it in his cut-off black gloves, pulling back with equal force that Quistis stumbled forward from her standing position. Something melted behind the pale purple eyes, the colour fading to their proper sapphire blue colour.

"Irvine..." she whispered, her voice containing fear and hurt. "You're hurting me,"

His instant reaction to the girl's yielding voice was to remove the grip around her wrist, not before Squall managed to send a warning shout to him.

"Don't let go, Irvine. It's a trick. She's tricking you into-"

Quistis ignored Squall and his shouts, focusing her attention to Irvine who stared at her transfixed. "Irvine..." she said softly. "The cable hurts me. _You're_ hurting me..."

"I'm sorry..." he replied, slowly letting the electrical cable go

A sharp whistle of a spinning object air sliced through the air twirling haphazardly with the intention of inflicting pain at Irvine. It did not strike the boy anywhere on his body - the metal spanner's object was to whisk the hat away from the cowboy's head, without it, Irvine felt cowboyless - out of role. His hat toppling away from him caught the attention Zell wanted to achieve. He knew what Ultimecia was doing, almost succeeding in doing. He was not about to let her play anyone for a sap - one thing SeeDs weren't, were stupid. Act stupidly, ask stupid questions, yes. Played for a fool, no.

"Irvine you moron!" Zell yelled, attending to Selphie to one side of the room. "Snap the hell out of the trance she's got you under and reel her in!!"

Tearing his blue eyes away from her face, Irvine determinedly tugged at the electrical cable making sure that his gaze remained averted all the way through.

"Release me you foul, wretched SeeDs!!" Ultimecia struggled in the bonds that held her tightly. Quistis sat on the floor on her knees like a trussed up Chocobo. Humiliating it was for her, but also important if they wanted to get Quistis back. "You shall not escape my wrath once I am free!!"

"Keep it coming. Big talk coming from you," Seifer sneered, jumping down the table he previously perched on, to come stand before the witch - cold sympathy and nothing more in his eyes. "You inhibit other people's bodies because your own is too weak to control. SeeDs are not stupid, _I'm_ not stupid to see what you're trying to do with your mind-control to manipulate and use for your own will."

Ultimecia glared back at the boy with her eerie purple eyes. She said nothing for a moment, continuing to stare mutely at him. Her eyes changed from that unearthly purple to a burning shade of strange yellow. Seifer knew what she was doing. It wouldn't work on him because his strong will would resist the temptation offered to him, unlike before. He was just a boy back then... He would destroy the sorceress before the day was through. Unconsciously, Seifer lifted his gunblade, trance like - readying himself for the time when the blade would fall and pierce her stone, black heart.

"Seifer, no!!!" his name was called simultaneously from the other four SeeDs. Zell's voice rang out the loudest, bouncing against the walls of the laboratory. Zell did a double take, grimacing at himself. The way he had said Seifer's name - the thought brought back about a shudder he could not hide. _Whoa, man. That was weird!_

His gunblade fell from his side, hearing Ultimecia laughing harshly, mockingly at him. "I still have you, Seifer, my knight. You don't want to be a boy any more, do you? Escape your cage-"

"Shut up! Shut the hell up!! Leave me alone!" Seifer flared angrily. He could feel her pulling at his mind. He was afraid that she would have him again, afraid of what he would do to those around him. Hands blocking his ears, Seifer stumbled away from the kneeling figure on the floor. Too much for him to handle, especially with those eyes...

"Right, that's it!" Zell said jumping to his feet. "We get _you_ out of Instructor Trepe, _now_."

"Make me," Quistis sneered, "_SeeD_,"

"Do you really wanna say that?" Zell asked. "Think about it. Irvine said that and I would've smashed his face in hadn't been for his excuse."

"I do not believe you," Ultimecia replied hesitantly. "The girl, she is important to you. You would not dare to harm her."

"Wanna bet?"

The blue of her iris' contracting and her pupils dilating in sudden fear at the sight of Zell's Ehrgiez gloved fist travelling at tremendous speed, right at her face, made her want to open her mouth in protest. Quistis opened her mouth in a silent scream, squeezing her eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable: the darkness to overtake her senses.

Inwardly, the sorceress screamed, flinging Quistis' hands to shield her face and block the incoming attack. She would not have another vessel destroyed with her spirit trapped inside. What Ultimecia over looked - rather was deceived by - was the fact that SeeDs, close friends did not, _never_ abandoned each other, never cause them harm unintentionally: in the heat of battle, in complex situations, ever.

Casting herself up and outwards, Ultimecia left the vicinity of Quistis' body, her purple aura emerging from the young woman's body, ascending and then hovering above her. The way in which the white light, immersed in the purple glow pulsated from dark purple, to light, dark to light, gave the effect of a raging storm cloud.

Though he could not stop the momentum of his racing fist, Zell's instincts and reflexes were much faster than Irvine's ability to grab a gun and fire with quick precision and accuracy. While Irvine could not stop the bullet from hitting its intended target once the trigger had been pulled, Zell could however soften the blow from its supposed force, and did so now, stopping millimetres away from Instructor Trepe's heart-shaped, flawless face, punching her gently on the nose.

Zell retracted his fist to confront the spirit of Ultimecia. Ridiculously, the boy from Balamb performed a little victory dance, pointing at the stationary purple glow.

"Ha ha! Gotcha didn't I? Scared ya outta you're pants. Well, not literally... you don't have pants..."

Humiliation was not something Ultimecia bore well. To be fooled and humiliated by SeeDs at the same time, and with _her_ superiority - it was down right degrading!! Angrily, Ultimecia darted at each SeeD, stopping the longest at Seifer and Zell in an attempt to cause physical harm - of course she could only do that with a body - Quistis' body - which was now being carried away from her reach by Squall. Before any objections could be said or any objections made, the ball of light flitted away, disappearing in a small air vent located in a corner of the laboratory.

With the witch gone, their priorities now lay with Quistis' fallen figure lying in a slumped position on the floor. They all hurried to her side, gazing down worriedly. Odine's presence forgotten. Quistis groaned at the dull sensation she was experiencing inside her head. It felt like a severe headache, her head wanting to explode from the pain. Burying her head in her arms, Quistis shut her eyes tight wishing the pain to subside, to leave her alone. She was not aware of what Ultimecia had done to her - the least of her worries at the moment! Unexpectedly the young woman began to sob into her chest. Everything seemed to be happening to her of the sudden. She felt so helpless that it disgusted her. She was a SeeD, a prodigal child to have gained her instructor's license at seventeen. Why couldn't she handle a little angst?

Having her friend's sympathy did very little for her pride - it showed how weak and defenceless she was regardless of her training and mean whip. A hand lay gently on her shoulder making her look up with a tear-streaked face that was normally cool and calm. So, this was what it felt like to be exposed and helpless. First the attack of the Ruby Red at the Esthar City mall, then almost a victim of Odine's planted bomb at the Deep Sea Research facility, now _this_? Was Quistis showing sign of ineptness? Should she quit whilst she was ahead of herself?

Wiping the tears away, Quistis sat up from her fallen state, looking into the blue eyes of Seifer. Funnily enough, in the weird way that it was he smiled a lop-sided smile, one that Quistis found encouraging and heart-rendering. She smiled back, composing herself as she did so.

OK, now that you got her smiling, Almasy. Whatever you do, don't ask her if 'she's OK'. That'd be the dumbest question of all time. "How you feeling?" he asked cautiously. Until now, Quistis hadn't noticed that Seifer knelt down beside her, his black-gloved hand still on her shoulder. Maybe she should gently move away, to remove that caring touch. The fact that Seifer had no intention of removing his hand any time soon unnerved her, especially in the presence of Squall and the others.

"I'm fine," she lied with false assurance, attempting to stand to prove that she really was OK.

"Sure you are," Zell said flatly, frowning with concern when Quistis rose with unsteady feet and had to sit back down again with Seifer's help.

"Doesn't seem to be your day, huh, Instructor?" Irvine said sympathetically.

"No, not at all," Quistis said with a wane smile. "My Luck must be low,"

"No, just unfortunate," Selphie said, crouching down beside the instructor, a smile to encourage Quistis' smile to ease the pain that she felt.

"Instructor Trepe, I don't think you should-" Squall began to say only to be sharply cut off.

"Squall, no!" Quistis said, once more attempting to stand. "You need me. I'm fine, honestly-"

"Gotta side with Squall on this one, Instructor," Zell said in all seriousness. "What Ultimecia put you through, what she made you do- whoa, you gotta rest or you'll be in seriously bad shape. Be truthful to yourself and you'll see that you're gonna have to sit this one out."

"I don't want to disappoint you all," Quistis said her blue eyes melting.

"You won't be," Selphie soothed. "You're Instructor Trepe remember!"

Now Quistis did smile. If Zell was the person who could crack a smile in Squall, then Selphie was the person who could crack a smile in her.

The scrape of a table leg shifting against the floor caught their attention to the quietly attentive Doctor Odine trying to creep away unnoticed.

"Hey, not so fast!" Seifer said, throwing his gunblade in a javelin fashion to pin the scientist against the wall, several inches away from the floor. "I didn't forget about you,"

"Do you realise what you have done?" Odine asked them in the bizarre accent he spoke in. He ignored what Seifer said, instead eyeing each of them in turn.

"Another 'surprise' for us?" Irvine guessed under his breath to Squall.

I officially hate surprises, Squall told himself. He wasn't sure if he could take anymore of these revelations that brought nothing but more anxiety and frustration.

"By forcing Ultimecia out of the SeeD's body," he pointed at Quistis. "You have made another option available to her; one that she was not considering having settled in an equably suitable vessel."

A time stretching silence elapsed, the sound of people's breathing accompanying the quiet stillness of the laboratory, after the aftermath of Omega Weapon and Ultimecia's havoc. There seemed to be too many of these quiet moments lately, one that lasted too long for anyone's liking.

The realisation of whom Odine was speaking of dawned upon Squall. He did not speak up immediately; too afraid to voice his thoughts and to be told he was right. _Please don't let it be them, please don't..._ he pleaded earnestly to whoever was listening to his prayer of help. Squall did not need to worry about speaking up for Seifer and Quistis spoke up in unison, their voices matching the horror contained in the tone they spoke in.

"Rinoa!!"

"Right!!" Odine applauded as if they had answered correctly a really hard question and in doing so had won the ultimate prize of fighting Ultimecia in a final showdown, this time combined with the physical strength of an ex-sorceress, and the magical ability of another.

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Squall's mind screamed in fright and terror. _Not Rinoa, please not her. She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't need to relive this whole nightmare again_.

It was happening again, and the nightmare was very, very real. Squall's mind continued to ring shrilly and loudly, though not enough to block the voice of Nida's desperate voice from the radio he had in his possession. There was no mistaking the cries of terror in the background. Zell, Selphie and Irvine did not need to be told of where Ultimecia had sped off too, they simply knew.

"Squall, Balamb Garden is in serious trouble. We need you over here, stat. Ultimecia, she's..."

There was no need to for Nida to finish the warning sentence he was delivering, for Squall knew what was happening: déjà vu, a nightmare reborn - Resurrection - rebirth of a foe.

Chapter Twenty - Breakdown in Balamb

****

Nobody dared to disturb Squall. He wished to be alone and nobody argued. Everyone was concerned for him, especially because he bottled his feelings deep inside him. In this occasion, Quistis did not risk approaching the dark headed boy - she was too busy nursing her mind and body to be concerned about Squall at the moment.

She sat with Zell in the debriefing room of the Ragnorak, leaving the job of reaching Balamb Garden as speedily as was possible, to Selphie, under the watchful eye of Irvine. She stretched out her arms that were starting to feel cramped and deprived of space - and winced at the bruises. She would examine the damage she encountered and would visit Doctor Kadowaki at the Infirmary once the business with Ultimecia was sorted out - if Balamb was still upright.

Her right hand unconsciously slid down to her whip to feel for the grip of her Save the Queen, and started at the discovery of it missing. She gasped allowed, frantic eyes wildly searching for her missing weapon.

Zell looked up worriedly. "S'up, Instructor Trepe?"

"My- my Save the Queen - it's gone?!"

Uncomfortably, Zell shifted in his seat, not wanting to be the one to break the bad news to her. He glanced purposefully away and began to whistle.

"Zell?" Quistis asked expectantly, her query followed by a short shriek at the charred ends of the long front strands of her hair. Shocked, Quistis fingered the black singed hair and gazed at it mournfully. "My- my _hair_,"

Zell winced, balling his fists. He _sooo_ did not want to break the news to her now.

"Wha- what happened?" Quistis implored, her blue eyes wavering slightly that Zell thought she would begin to cry in front of him.

Thankfully, the hissing of the door to the debriefing room opened which could not have come at a better time. Silently Zell thanked his lifesaver, taking it back when he saw Seifer's tall figure standing in the doorway. The martial artist grinned. Who better than to explain to Instructor Trepe the cause of her ruined weapon and fried hair.

"Why don't you ask, _Seifer_?" Zell suggested, getting to his feet to leave. "I watch over Odine now."

Briskly, Zell left, giving Seifer a sympathetic look before leaving. The other boy watched him leave with curiosity, glancing then at Quistis who was occupied with analysing the damage down to her hair. His eyes grew wide with realisation. _Leave, leave, leave!!_ His mind warned him. His mind told him to make himself scarce, his body stayed put. Seeing her trying to repair the damage done to her hair made Seifer's stomach churn uneasily with guilt. _She'll get over it_, he told himself, _or maybe not_. Lifting her sapphire blue eyes to meet his, Quistis opened her mouth to speak. No sound came. Seifer gulped, apprehensive of her reaction. She had to know.

"My hair," Quistis said, fingering the front strand of her blond hair. "My weapon,"

"I'm sorry," Seifer said, removing the two pieces of the Save the Queen from his coat pocket. "I broke it," _I feel like a kid again. Like I broke her favourite doll… Wait, Quistis never did much favoured dolls…_

The sight of her beloved weapon in two pieces was enough to make her blood turn cold. "Ultimecia…" she murmured, vaguely aware of what had happened to her. "My weapon…you…"

Guilt was a bad thing; coupled with conscience they made a formidable team to make a person feel as bad as possible. Seifer was unable to meet the girl's gaze. He didn't want to see that glassy glaze in those blue, blue eyes of hers. It would hurt him too much.

"I was the one who sliced your weapon in two," he said. "You don't recall?"

Quistis shook her head mutely. She didn't recall at all. Either that, or the Guardian Forces Junctioned to her, must have affected her memory in the way that they did. Unpredictably she glowered up at him. "You owe me for my Save the Queen, and my _hair_. What were you trying to do, fry it?"

"I couldn't help it with the Fire spell. You- _Ultimecia_, was going to do some bad damage." Seifer argued. _ok, maybe it was a _Firaga_ spell, a little bit stronger than a normal low Fire spell - but what she doesn't know won't hurt her_. "In fact, you owe me quite a bit, Instructor," Seifer said, remaining by the door entrance, arms folded, his cold blue eyes staring at her.

Quistis blinked once before speaking. "Oh?" she asked suspiciously. "How do you figure that one out?"

"Sure you do," he said. "There's the little incident at the Deep Sea Research facility, uh, bunch of other stuff."

"Excuse me?! If anything, _you_ should be owing _me_!" Quistis stormed angrily.

"And what would you like me to owe you?" Seifer asked in his sly manner, that sardonic smile playing about his lips.

Quistis blushed furiously. Damn that Seifer, he knew exactly how to make her feel embarrassed. For that she hated him. "I'll tell you when I've thought of something," she replied harshly to cover her embarrassment.

"Of course. Take your time by all means. Think _v-e-r-y_ carefully of what you ask of me," perhaps he had taken the taunting a little too far. Warning signs blared inside his mind when he saw her flash a malicious icy glare in his direction.

"Do you honestly want another slap across the face?" she said irritably.

"No thanks, I've had more injuries done to me to last for a life time," Seifer curtly answered. Although the idea of having Quistis near him in close proximity again, didn't sound too bad...

"What?!"

"You were Ultimecia's puppet. She caused a nice little riot between you SeeDs. Should have seen it." he said.

"I did...?" her voice was small. Quistis found it hard to imagine herself doing such a thing.

"Ask anyone. Leonhart, chicken wuss, the messenger girl, cowboy. Even the psycho doctor saw everything, and he got popcorn! Would've made a great movie title: The Wrath of the SeeD, or something." Seifer said, nodding at every recollection.

Quistis' mouth went dry from disbelief. "I... I'm very sorry…" she said slowly. "I don't recollect..."

"Want me to relate to you the whole details of while you were being possessed?" Seifer asked. "Explicit details, and everything-"

"Why are you being horrible?" Quistis interrupted with a spark of anger.

"So then maybe you'd understand what it was like to be used and abused, to be controlled," Seifer returned with his own anger, he didn't think he no longer had. "Sorry," he muttered afterwards.

Instructor Trepe looked at him stunned. The feeling of helplessness and no control came flooding back to her like a torrent of water, casting her mind back. She remembered. She recalled the fear and worry in everyone's eyes. To be used and abused, yes, she knew what it was like to be used: unpleasant, unforgivable. Quistis raised troubled eyes to the blond boy, staring down at her hands as she spoke with you slight difficulty.

"Did I hurt you badly?" she asked.

"Except for giving me a nice bruise to the back, everybody was fine." Seifer informed. "When push comes to shove, Instructor, boy can you shove!" he grinned.

Quistis however was not impressed with her actions. "I am sorry," she apologised. "Perhaps you could see Dr. Kadowaki, at Balamb Garden with me- I mean, uh, you don't have to come with me. It's just that I've received a few blows myself. I wasn't implying anything," she said in a tone that suggested he had.

"Sure you weren't," Seifer said casually, his eyes saying the complete opposite.

The nineteen year old girl tried her best to not flush so deeply, keeping her eyes trained onto the boots of his feet. She noticed the tear of material from his grey/white trench coat and muttered something in audible to Seifer's ears.

"Your coat," she pointed guiltily at the tear. "Did I do that?"

"No, Omega Weapon, did. Can't you remember you fought the muther of monsters with the rest of us? Ultimecia must've wiped you out real bad. You sure you ok?"

It almost sounded caring to Quistis' ears. "I'm fine," she replied with a sting that generated an offended look from the boy.

"Sorry for showing that I care," Seifer muttered. "Guess you need time to recuperate," with the intention of leaving, it was Seifer who now wore the troubled look on his face. Quistis did not let him leave without sending him off with a parting shot.

"You have a funny way of showing that you do. But wait, I thought the Seifer Almasy everyone knew, _didn't_ care for anything, or anything, for that matter."

"What's _that_ meant to mean?" he demanded, turning round to confront her. "Be grateful I saved your butt out there."

"Why did you? I didn't ask for your help." Quistis fired back. If only she had her weapon by her side, then she would teach him a lesson or two.

"You're right. You didn't ask for my help. I gave it anyway. Why, even _I_ don't know. Maybe it's from hanging out with you SeeDs too much - it's made me catch loseritis, or something."

"Or something," Quistis agreed, her eyes oddly screaming for murder. "Maybe that's why you're so incompetent, you failed to qualify as a SeeD on two accounts!!"

"Nice to throw people's failures right at their face, huh?" Seifer snarled angrily. He didn't know why Quistis was acting so nasty and bitchy to him, and she wouldn't be given a chance to explain either. All he wanted to do was lose the anger inside him by some form of abusive language. Seifer would not stop there, "I don't need no fancy title to make people aware of my capabilities. I can do that easily without going through a crummy test, some kinda dog training."

Quistis shook her head in disgust. "I don't understand what Squall saw in you. How he could bare to trust you again. To let you take charge back at Lunatic Pandora. I preferred it when both of you were in unsettled terms!"

"For an instructor, you make a very bad liar," Seifer observed mockingly. "What was it you said back then, in Timber? 'Give him a chance to explain himself,' You were very understanding back then. All of a sudden there's this sudden hostility towards me. You resent me, don't you Instructor? Admit it, you hate my guts - for what reason, you're too afraid to say; just like the others."

"Yes, I hate your guts, Seifer Almasy. And if it wasn't for the fact that I still have a shred of self control, I would have no hesitation in engaging battle."

"Ooh, nothing better than to engage in a little one on one to vent off one's anger, huh? Must be all the pent up frustration."

"Just go!" she said forcefully. "I don't need to waste my energy on you."

"Now why does that sound like that has sexual implications to it?" Seifer mused aloud, grinning at Quistis as he spoke. "Perhaps I should stay to see where this leads to."

"In your d_reams_," Quistis returned in a tone she hoped sounded distasteful. "That's what _you_ wish."

Yeah, in my ROMANTIC _dreams_, Seifer thought to himself - almost laughing out loud on the thought. _How I wish..._

"Go! Leave! Leave me alone!" Quistis stormed angrily at his persistent grinning face. Getting to her feet, she grabbed Seifer by the arm to haul him out of the debriefing room.

Instead, and to her surprise, the blond boy caught her arm instead and pulled her to him. Beneath the fluorescent lights, against his tall frame, Seifer held the foreboding countenance he carried whenever Quistis was _this_ close to him.

"You don't want me to really leave, do you?" he said, looking down at her. Hypnotising her with his ice blue eyes. "Admit it,"

Quistis swallowed heavily, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I want you to leave," she said, a little too late to convince the boy.

"Sure. But we haven't finished arguing," Seifer said. "Remember I said we could argue some other time. We've got time now."

"My energy is not worth wasting on you," Quistis bit out savagely, pushing herself away from him.

"Oh, c'mon," Seifer cajoled, raising his arms in a resigned gesture. "Give me a try, you might surprise yourself."

That's what I'm afraid of, Quistis thought worriedly. _I might surprise myself. Betray myself. I can't let him know... you're doing a great job of trying to conceal your feelings, Trepe! I could do without surprises._

It must have been Ultimecia's possession, she left behind an irrational hatred inside, and one she could not control. Quietly the blond girl cleared her mind of the red she was seeing. This was not like her.

"Seifer, please go. I really am not feeling very well. The ordeal with Ultimecia has shook me up more than anticipated. I need to be by my-"

"Yeah, I get the message. Don't need to tell me twice," Seifer said. In one quick, swift motion, he was gone.

Instructor Trepe stood in the now desolate debriefing room of the Ragnorak, feeling the company of solitude of loneliness. So this was what Squall preferred. Solitude. Silence. "Seifer," Quistis called out uncertainly, after a moment's hesitation. The blond boy was quick to return one eyebrow raised inquiringly at her.

"Something wrong?" he asked, sticking his head around the door.

"I, uh..." she faltered, glancing down at her gloves in search of an answer. "I, uh..." she repeated with still no proper answer.

Seifer cocked his head to own side, an amused look on his face. "I think the cat _does_ have your tongue this time. You're stumbling," he pointed out.

"It's hard to put things into words," Quistis explained. She chewed on her bottom lip in anxiety. How could she put her thoughts into words without embarrassing herself yet again? When it came to expressing feelings - deeper feelings, Quistis had problems. _I guess Squall and I can relate._

Intrigued by her difficulty in conveying her thoughts, Seifer ventured further into the debriefing room, standing before her.

"I need to say a few things," she began uneasily.

"What, more abuse? Shoot away," he mocked.

"I am not going to make any scathing remarks," Quistis said sternly. "I need to say thank you properly."

"You just did, that's all the thanks I need to hear," Seifer said, half turning to leave again. He felt her hand touch his shoulder gently. Enough to halt his departure. "Anything else you need to say-" The way she gazed into his eyes like that, those deep sapphire coloured eyes tugged at something deep inside him. _Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! Almasy no! Go. Now. Leave. Scram. Don't stare back at her that way. Stop it. Don't let you're hormones get involved again. You saved her life, so what. You're attracted to her - so what. Physical attraction. Get over it._

"I think I..." she said, coming closer to him that he could feel her breath on the skin of his neck.

"Yeah..." The ever Mr. Cool was beginning to feel hot under the collar. He never thought he'd feel for a girl like Quistis before. Ever. 

The young SeeD instructor parted her mouth to finish her sentence. That was when she heard the voice that startled her out of her skin. She heard Seifer curse under his breath from the sudden unexpected entrance of whom other than…

"Yo! Instructor Trepe, Instruct-" Zell's voice called down to her, stopping abruptly at the sight of Seifer and her getting pretty close. Zell recoiled, shutting his eyes closed and covering them with his gloved-clad hands. "Whoa! I did _not_ see that. Man! Why is it whenever I happen to be delivering a message or somethin' I see _you_," he pointed a finger at Seifer. "And Instructor Trepe, like millimetres away from each other?"

"Could be bad timing," Seifer suggested, stepping away from the blond girl. "Or maybe you're just a perv-"

"What is the message you've come to deliver, Zell?" Quistis hastily interrupted, overriding Seifer's sentence with her own. A fight and a slanging match was not going to help ease the dull pain that appeared to return, unwelcome.

Zell took one last careful look at Seifer before focusing all his attention to Quistis. "Squall asked that you come up. We're almost at Balamb. Need to organise the teams."

Tensely Squall paced behind the pilot's seat at the bridge of the Ragnorak. In his mind he went over the strategy he had planned out. They were to split into two respective teams, infiltrate Balamb Garden, gather the students and assemble them in one place, probably the Quad, and then locate where Ultimecia was - if indeed she had decided to remain inside the Garden to wait for their arrival. Irvine caught the tension in the way Squall paced to and fro. It was beginning to unnerve him.

"Uh, Squall?" he said cautiously, breaking into the boy's thoughts. Squall sharply look up and away from his quiet thinking. "Lighten up a little, huh?"

"Yeah, whatever..." he dismissed Irvine's words and continued to pace.

Uh-oh, the old Squall's back, back to dotted line sentence's and answering with _'whatever', again_. Irvine thought worriedly. _This is bad_.

Lighten up? Squall thought to himself. _Lighten up?! How can I lighten up? Rinoa's life is at stake_ again, _if anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself. Rinoa_...Squall said to himself with a tinge of guilt mixed with anger and pain.

"Squall," Selphie's voice reached his ears. "We're hovering roughly 'bout fifteen metres above Balamb Garden. Where do you wanna land?"

"Ok, reduce the pressure on the thrusters to cut on the noise from the engines. Land the Ragnorak behind the forest nearest to Balamb Garden, and lower the ramp down." Squall instructed.

"Gotcha!" swiftly, and wordlessly Selphie carried out the instructions given to her. Steadily she reversed the Ragnorak to the back of the Balamb forest situated aside to the Garden, with minimum noise on the engines that generated a whirring sound whenever the fine beast was taking off.

Squall heard the remaining three missing people enter the bridge in a run. He glanced over at Seifer who wore his serious look on his face, Zell, who couldn't wait to kick some butt, and Instructor Trepe, a sombre expression that reflected the importance of what they were about to do.

Nida had not given them any information as to what defensive actions Balamb Garden were taking to ensure the safety of all inside the Garden. The radio call Squall had received from the fellow SeeD had been cut short, static being the only thing that he heard after Nida's voice dissolved to silence.

Soundlessly Squall acknowledged their swift arrival, and nodded politely to Seifer. The older boy shrugged and folded his arms to await what he had to say. Squall did not need any further incentive to proceed with their debriefing, and did so in his standard all serious, humourless, I-am-Commander-but-I-didn't-want-to-be tone.

"I want Irvine and Instructor Trepe to go with me this time. Seifer, you'll lead your group of Zell and Selphie. We'll enter Balamb Garden via the forest. I don't want to waste time by fighting uselessly weak monsters; I'll have Enc-None Junctioned so we won't face any complications whilst we're inside the forest. Upon reaching the Garden front entrance, Irvine, Instructor Trepe and I shall ride to the third floor to see the Headmaster should Ultimecia decided to take him hostage, or a case similar. Seifer and the rest of you will go around the Garden. Check the Library, dorms etc. for any students or SeeDs. Direct them to the Quad, as I suspect Nida and Xu would have assembled everyone there. Issue the order from me that they are all to wait in standby mode. I reckon that this will be a one on one battle with just Ultimecia and us. Should she spring a nasty surprise, we'll have the rest of Balamb Garden to support us. You'll have fifteen minutes to execute my order. We'll meet at the Directory once we have finished with the preliminaries."

Ducking his head into the Infirmary, Zell scanned for Dr. Kadowaki - and saw that she was not at her usual place at her desk.

"Yo, Dr. Kadowaki," he said softly at first. "No reply came - time to raise the volume level a little." Dr. Kadowaki-!"  
"Yes Zell, I may not be a young rascal like you anymore, but these ears of mine can hear you perfectly well without having you to raise your voice. "Dr. Kadowaki informed dryly, emerging from the small examination room that obscured her from view.

"Uh, we're jus' going round the Garden, checking on all the SeeDs and students. They're all at the Quad. There might be some fighting. Faculty and staff need to-"

At the mention of "need to," the middle-aged woman shook her head briskly. There was no need to let Zell finish his sentence - she already knew what was going to be said. "No, Zell," she said, removing the stethoscope around her neck and coming over to her desk to set it down there. She lowered herself onto the chair, entwined her fingers together and rested them on the desktop. She raised her head and stared up at Zell, Seifer and Selphie, with a look that told them she had no inclination of following out their orders. Her silence felt unsettling that Zell rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture of indecision.

"But Squall-" he began.

"But Squall, nothing," she interjected. "The last time Balamb Garden was under attack was with the Galbadian Army, I was asked to leave the Infirmary and join the others. I shall tell you what I said before; I am not going anywhere. I will stay right here where people can find should they receive wounds injuries or such - that is my job as the 'in-house' doctor, Squall should know that. What Squall doesn't understand is the full implications of things. You all mean well, but you easily forget that I have a responsibility to keep, even at times like these. I don't think I need to tell you what that responsibility is, hmm?" Dr. Kadowaki concluded on a firm note.

"No, Doc," Zell said. He turned to leave, not before saying. "You jus' be careful and take care, ok?"

"Don't I ever?" she said, waving them away. "For your own sakes, take care of yourselves, and each other."

The expression on Squall's face did not reflect what he was feeling inside - the sinking, churning intuition that brought a feeling of dread inside him. For an occasion such as this, it was important that he didn't crack up - to not betray his cool exterior. _Stay focused_, he silently told himself. _Concentrate on the task at hand, and think_.

Headmaster Cid had been informed of the 'code-red' situation. He clearly was not aware that Ultimecia was in the very same building as everyone else inside Balamb Garden. Somewhere, two levels down from the top most floor… The news clearly brought anxiety to the headmaster. The distressed expression told Squall and the others with him that much.

To be fair, Edea Kramer did not deserve to be apart of the 'nightmare' once more, she didn't deserve to experience and go through the same terrible ordeal of Ultimecia's plot to compress their world, and to exact her revenge. It wasn't fair. Then again, life wasn't fair, as Squall very well knew. There were times when the world just seemed to totally disagree with you - that was when you felt like crawling into a gap in the floor and dying. And then there were the less frequent days when things were going right, you felt great, life was problem free… with 'wrongness' hiding around the corner, waiting to drag you back to the bottomless pit of misery.

Squall, Quistis and Irvine arrived at the front of the directory to find Zell and his group already there, waiting.

"The juniors, seniors and SeeDs have been rounded up and sorted out," Zell informed. "Faculty are on standby, staff from the cafeteria have been evacuated. Dorms, the Training Arena, Library have been checked out - everyone's accounted for. And uh, Dr. Kadowaki… she, uh, refuses to budge from the Infirmary." He finished.

Squall nodded and folded his arms briefly in a contemplative manner. So what now? There wasn't exactly a contingency plan - in fact, there wasn't even a plan! It was standard protocol to carry out the prelims whenever such an incident like this occurred. So what happens next? For a while Squall said nothing, kept silent and stared vacantly ahead of him. And, for a moment everyone thought they had lost him again - caught in the waiting arms of oblivion. Resurfacing back to reality, the others took note of the frown that Squall wore on his face. Whenever he used to frown it always used to make the scar on his face all the more painful, and all the more hard to bare. His scar on his forehead was the least of his worries now. Something was really niggling him at the back of his mind…

Without a word, Squall unfolded his arms and stood up straight - the frown still on his brow. A questioning look on his face, the dark-headed boy began to walk resolutely towards the direction of the Quad, leaving the others with equably wondering faces. They shrugged at each other and followed obediently, but that didn't stop Zell from asking the question that Selphie, Quistis, Irvine and Seifer wanted to know:

"Squall, what's up?"

The Quad was bustling with life when Squall arrived. He did not proceed down the flight of the steps to confront Nida. Instead he stood at the top, sweeping his gaze at the scene before him. To one side of the Quad the juniors and seniors were arranged into their respective groups. And to the other side, SeeDs and faculty stood, some wearing apprehensive faces, others glancing around them in mild confusion.

He spotted Nida and Xu giving out orders to a group of SeeDs, wondering for a brief moment whether he should come down and confront him in the presence of so many people. One thing Squall wanted to avoid was an audience - that he couldn't exactly help, what with the large mass of bodies that took no particular notice of the non-uniform clad group mutely watching their activities.

Squall's lips were set in a thin grim line - _that,_ Zell and the others noticed. There was no mistaking the emotionless expression on his face. He was all seriousness now. It was not going to be a surprise to his close friends if they did not see so much as a flicker of a smile until they had disposed of Ultimecia, and return Edea and Rinoa back to their respective bodies. A hush silence suddenly fell in the Quad, all eyes directed to the five SeeDs and Seifer. Nida and Xu, dressed in SeeD attire turned to see the source of the silence that had befell in the Quad, a look of what was meant to be of relief and respect on their faces.

They came forward, waiting for them at the foot of the flight of smooth concrete steps. Squall hesitated a while - was this really needed? Frowning to himself Squall slowly descended the steps one by one, the others following him with a look of wonder on their faces. Saluting them both, Squall gave them each a dose of his blue steely glare. Xu and Nida glanced at each other, nervously and then turned to face the SeeDs and Seifer with pursed lips.

"Xu, Nida," Squall acknowledged curtly in the manner he did. A brief recollection of his secret rendezvous with Instructor Trepe in the secret area of the Training Area when she poured out her heart and feelings to him flashed before his eyes. And for a split second he felt ashamed of his behaviour. As usual he was being the impossible teenager, wanting to be left alone to drown in his hormones and feelings. Quistis would not deny that she had this certain attraction towards the young dark headed boy. Not of one that was based upon the kind of love that Squall felt for Rinoa, but the type of love Squall felt, _had_ felt for Ellone - a sisterly love. Quistis had only wanted someone to talk to, someone who would listen and sympathise with her. Knowing Squall since childhood, Quistis should have realised that she would gain nothing from Squall, not a kind word, or a friendly ear. Squall kept himself to himself, and only participated in things that interested him. Listening to Instructor Trepe talk about her personal feelings and problems was not something Squall was interested in.

'…Oh really?' Squall remembered he had said.

'Is that all you can say?' Quistis had asked him.

'If that's how it was decided, you have to abide by it.'

'They told me that I failed as an instructor. Basically, that I lacked leadership qualities.' _And there was me thinking that I could possibly persuade Instructor Trepe to take my place…_ Squall thought. 'I was a SeeD by the age of 15, got my instructor license at 17… It's only been a year since I got it… I wonder where I went wrong… I did my best… Are you listening?'

'Are you done yet…?' It had been a year ago that Squall forgot whether he meant to be rude or not. 'I don't want to talk about it. What am I supposed to say about other people's problems?'

'I'm not asking you to say anything. I just want you to listen.' She had said to him when Squall had patently decided to shut himself up and pay no attention to what she was saying; that night in the Training Arena.

'Then go talk to a wall.' Was his reply. Thinking about it now, Squall found that he was none too pleased with his behaviour.

Xu and Nida was another thing. These were SeeDs that Squall was sure, coveted his position as commander and the tight circle of friends that they had not been granted access to.

"Commander Squall," to this the dark headed boy winced. He disliked being called by such a title. "We've followed protocol and assembled everybody here," Xu informed stating the all too obvious.

Squall nodded, cocked his head to one side and gave each of the two SeeDs in front of him another hard long look. They responded by shifting uneasily and giving each other more side-glances. They had a feeling of what was going to follow. Nida cleared his throat.

"Any problems whilst in our absence. Any difficulties, attacks encountered?" Squall asked fixing his blue stare at Nida.

"None what so ever," the other young man replied without hesitation - his face remained neutral.

To this reply, Squall frowned. "As I seem to recall, Headmaster Cid informed me of a disturbance within Garden fifteen, perhaps twenty minutes prior to our arrival at Balamb. Would you be suggesting that the Headmaster is lying? Instructor Trepe will second what I say. She was present with me upon my debriefing with the Headmaster." Nida remained silent. "Well?" Squall prompted.

"We handled the monsters just fine!" Xu flared as if Squall had spoken and had suggested that they were incapable of handling things within Garden in his absence.

"Monsters?" Now Squall really did frown. Headmaster Cid had not mentioned about monsters except for a 'disturbance'. On Xu and Nida's advice, Cid had been instructed to stay inside his office and to remain there until he was given the 'all clear' signal from them - which he hadn't. Cid stayed inside his office on the top most floor of Balamb Garden and there he waited, while, down below SeeDs (with Xu and Nida leading the way), juniors and seniors fought a herd of monsters from the near by forests. "What monsters?"

"Balamb Garden was attacked by an onslaught of monsters - low levelled monsters. They were eliminated with ease." Xu said, meeting Squall's gaze without being fazed by his crystal blue eyes.

"I never said that you are incompetent to handle such situations as this," Squall said quietly. He knew what was going through their minds.

"You didn't? But you're tone of voice definitely suggested so." Nida said.

"Then why didn't you inform me of the attack?" Squall asked.

"There was no time. Assembling all the students, faculty-" Xu started.

"There's _always_ time," Squall argued rather too forcefully. "It's standard protocol to-" now it was Squall's turn to be cut off. A touch on his shoulder broke him off. He glanced behind him to see Quistis and the rest looking at him with concern - Seifer watching the scene with silent amusement.

"Squall? Take it easy," Quistis said gently.

What's wrong _with me?_ _What am I doing, throwing my weight around... this is all Ultimecia's fault. Rinoa... I'm gonna..._

"Y'know, we've got an even bigger monster to fight," Seifer reminded them all. "I say someone's got the case of the Green-eyed monster,"

"Say what?! You making sense?" Zell said, whipping his head round and looking at the boy in the long trench coat.

"I make more sense than you ever will, chicken wuss," Seifer drawled.

"Ooh, he's takin' the piss chicken- uh, I mean, Zell," Irvine said grinning.

Zell flashed an irritated glare at the cowboy and narrowed his blue eyes at the blond boy who stared back at him defiantly, daring him to start a fight. "Ah, forget it!" Zell said. He wanted to reserve his energy and fighting skills for _real_ bad asses.

"Jealous?!" Selphie exclaimed as if the word was not something that she used very much. "Xu and Nida jealous?!"

"You got it," Seifer agreed with conviction. "And _they_ know it," he lifted his gun blade and pointed it in the direction of the two SeeDs in uniform.

"D-don't be ridiculous!!" Nida sputtered.

"Oh come off it, it's as obvious as the blade on a Mesmerize," Seifer scorned.

The elder girl in pink sighed inwardly and rolled her eyes at Seifer's oh so tactful way of resolving matters. "This is little childish don't you think, Xu?" Quistis said to the other girl turning to a different method other than provoking them.

"No," came the blunt reply. "I understand how Nida feels. I empathise and sympathise with him, because like him, I go unnoticed. Our efforts and contributions to Balamb Garden go unnoticed."

"They certainly do _not_ go unnoticed," Quistis argued. "To think that would be plain silly on your behalf, not to mention ungrateful."

"Un_grateful_?" Nida echoed. "What exactly can we be _grateful_ for? It's ok for you to say that, you're all SeeDs-"

"Yeah, 'cept me," Seifer butted in.

"-We're SeeDs too," Nida went on without paying much attention to the older blond boy. "Still we don't get the same recognition as you do. We weren't involved in defeating Ultimecia, were we?"

"But you _were_ involved in assembling and helping Balamb Garden to prepare for the Galbadian attack and the Galbadian Army." Quistis argued. "Who was the one who flew and controlled Balamb Garden when it was found to have the ability to fly?" she aimed this question at Nida who remained silent whilst she went on. "Your assistance was of tremendous help and it definitely did not go unnoticed. Granted you were not involved in any of the major battles, but gaining recognition that way is sometimes not always the best - it shows courage and bravery, yes. What you showed was more than that. You showed team spirit and a genuine concern for the welfare of all, and the fate of our Garden. That sort of thing speaks greater volumes than anything thing, and I'm sure, even certain that Headmaster Cid is extremely grateful to you. All of you. Already junior students look up to you. That's something you ought to be proud of."

A solitary clap was heard after Quistis' speech. All eyes lifted to see Seifer put down his gloved hands by his side. Quistis raised a questioning eyebrow at the boy. Was there contempt in that clap of his? And was he _smirking_? If so, later she would give him piece of her mind…

"We sooo do not have time for this," Zell said, clenching his hands into fist. "We can sort out the Green-eyed monster later. Right now, we've got a more important monster to fight."

Nida still remained unhappy. Xu was the one who spoke for the both of them. Inside she felt touched by what Instructor Trepe had said. From her heart, she thanked the older girl. "I agree," she said all business now. "As petty as it may seem, our problems come second to the bigger threat that is at hand."

"We'd better get going then," what else could Squall say? He had never found himself in a situation where he had to sort out a personal conflict between SeeDs and himself. Never had a cause arisen before… only because he never allowed himself to become too attached, too involved in things that did not concern him.

Now it _did_ concern him. At times like this, Squall's expertise as a fighter and a SeeD were called for - that was when the problems began, the inner conflicts started. It wasn't his fault he was good at what he did. It was as if he was being blamed for being born… The all too familiar question of 'why me?' came to mind and Squall shook his head to himself and sighed inwardly. Take it and deal with it.

Squall turned to go. Why did he feel awkward? _Because I'm not suited for this job_, he supplied to himself. _I'm not a leader sort of person-_

"Hey," Squall turned and glanced up. Nida had spoken. "If you need help, holler."

The dark head of Squall nodded and smiled faintly.

"Heeey!!!" Selphie exclaimed suddenly. More bad news? "What about Doctor Odine?"

"Oh _yeah!!_" Zell remembered. "Yikes, he's still in the Ragnarok-"

All it took was a speaking glance to the other two SeeDs to know that they were willing to sort the minor problem of keeping an eye on the doctor.

"Leave it us," Xu said, clasping her hands together. "Better hurry,"

Behind his crystal blue eyes, Squall sent an expression of gratitude, interpreted correctly for Xu and Nida urged them to the basement floor where Ultimecia awaited. His gratitude did not go unseen, and neither did one of his rare smiles…

The short journey to the basement floor via the elevator was a quiet one. All of their faces were solemn yet apprehensive. None of them were certain as to what they were going to expect. When they had fought Ultimecia's minions at her castle, and then Ultimecia and her own GF, Griever, the band of five SeeDs thought they had seen everything there was to see if all that was evil in the world. What were they to expect this time round?

Their own GFs were not really going to be of use to them now. Not in this up and coming battle. They knew from experience. True Ultimecia's Hell Judgement attack had the ability to reduce everyone's hit points to a mere one. Best counter attacked by a swift dose of Curaga, the none-fighting ability Recover, Regan, or Quistis' extremely useful Blue Magic: Mighty Guard that cast Protect, Shell, Haste and Float on all the three combatants. And then of course there were her other just as deadly attacks: Ultima, Flare and Meteor. Edea, Rinoa and Ultimecia: three sorceresses all riddled into one was sure to produce a devastating attack onto them. All they had to do now was confront them and find out...

Squall creased his brow, setting his lips into a taught straight line, his hand resting on the butt of his gun blade, every muscle in his body tense and poised for battle. Whatever happened, he had to make sure he kept his mind focused, and not allow himself to be swept away with emotion, not to be consumed by his feelings for Rinoa once he saw her.

Be strong a voice in his mind told him. He looked up sharply, glancing at each of the others to see who had spoken. Nobody else raised their gaze to meet his, individually they were all preoccupied with their own thoughts to pay heed to Squall's questioning expression. Slowly he bent his head down, gazing at the silver Griever chain that hung around his neck. Be strong there was that voice again. _Sis? Ellone...?_ Be strong Squall. Strong and brave like a lion... remain true to your heart and then you will overcome the darkness. Yes, it had to be Ellone, his beloved Sis... They could always communicate well with each other. _Thank you, Sis,_ Squall silently sent back. _Thank you for still being there for me like everyone else. Zell, Quistis... all of you. Thank you. Rinoa... we'll get you back. We'll defeat Ultimecia and get you and Matron back_. It was promise Squall hoped and prayed he could keep.

Out of pure nervousness Zell began shadow boxing. He was sure everyone felt the same. When it came to boss battles and major fights such as this one, the thought always sent his stomach churning. It wasn't that he was not confident in his battle skills, Zell knew fully well that he was _very_ good in battles, especially when it came to being up close and personal with his fists and a face... Zell wasn't sure what the funny sensation was, maybe it was the adrenaline... no doubt Seifer's adrenaline would be pumping through his veins like crazy once he began fighting. It was odd - Seifer's face appeared almost serene... no frown, no creased brow. For one who usually relished a fight, Seifer looked strangely calm... that worried Zell - it wasn't normal.

There were so many things that annoyed him. Fishing was one - Seifer just did not have the patience to sit on his butt and wait until a fish decided to come along and be caught up on his hook - and then there was Zell's shadow boxing... Now that really got him going. Eyes cast downward, Seifer, for a while remained silent, willing himself not to succumb to his temper and open his mouth. He glanced sideways to see Quistis' face all calm and neutral. Seifer noted that she held a Red Scorpion in her gloved hands when really it should have been a Save the Queen. Guilty he stole a look at her flawless face and quickly looked away when he was caught staring. It was his fault that Quistis was not able to fight with her greatest weapon... _Damn Ultimecia_, Seifer bitterly thought. _She's mine. She's gonna pay. We have a score to settle..._

Frowning slightly, Quistis held more tightly to her Red Scorpion. It was not the best weapon, but it would have to suffice. She wondered about Seifer and smiled faintly in amusement. Why had he stared at her and then divert his gaze once she had caught him in the act? Tucking the long blond front strands of her hair behind her ears, Quistis pursed her lips thoughtfully. All that had happened, the monsters, the taking away of Ellone, Ultimecia, having to fight the sorceress all over again was a repetition of what happened a year ago. Ultimecia's arrival could not have come at a better time. At the anniversary...

I wonder what shall become of us? Quistis thought quietly, tracing a finger along the whip she held. _How will life commence after Ultimecia is defeated? Back to being a SeeD? Taking on missions? No change?_ Not that Quistis Trepe wanted a change. Being a SeeD meant that you got to travel around the world and see different places. Some how Quistis felt she was fated to do this sort of thing. To be a mercenary, even though such a word was not a good one to use because it projected a wrong image of Garden. It was just that life for her - the past nineteen years of her life - had basically been a daily routine of following and carrying out instructions, and giving out instructions to lower years. For a young woman such as herself needed a challenge in her life which only seemed to occur whenever a new mission arose. At the moment life appeared to be a mundane task, alternating between black and white.

Indeed mercenaries they were, there was no escaping that. SeeDs got paid by the highest bidders - money was clearly an issue. Some way or other, Garden had to raise some sort of financial income and maintaining the three Gardens: Balamb, Trabia and Galbadia was not an inexpensive employment. But with missions came moral ethics. That was something that Headmaster Cid, Squall and everyone else bore into consideration. To be hired to fight was their job... come to think of it, as SeeDs they were trained for battle. When hired, no questions as to _why_ they fought, was it for a good cause or not, were to be asked. It was not expected of them. Though it was clear that in defeating Ultimecia, in purposefully setting out to destroy the sorceress from the future, thus preventing time compression and saving the world from a devastating ending, meant that SeeDs did perhaps ascertain into something that could be deemed as right. Then came the question on who decided what was right and what was wrong.

Smiling like she usually did, Selphie rocked back and forth on the heels of her boots. Her smile daunted Irvine, who stood next to the petite form of the nunchaku wielding SeeD. Selphie's smile always seemed to reflect the sunny colour of her yellow/orange dress. In some way or other, she worried everybody. Such a sweet, innocent looking face such as hers looked so out of place in a fighting academy. All it took was battle to show that Selphie Tilmitt was not what all people envisioned her to be.

Gotta beat Ultimecia, she told herself. _Defeat the sorceress and save Rinoa and Matron._ She began humming.

As always, Irvine, the sharp shooter adjusted his cowboy's hat and grasped more tightly the steely glaze of his Exeter in his black, cut-off fingered gloves. A flirt though he was, Irvine could not help the way things were and he grinned at the thought. _The ladies just can't resist me_, he said to himself. _A gift to the opposite sex_.

In their own way, the boys and girls were good looking. There was a certain something each person had, and that was what made them unique - an individual. Whether it was Squall's blue eyes and dark head, Zell's boyish face and mohawkish styled hair, Irvine's charismatic smile or Seifer's dangerously rakish looks and dry humour - specific people found these attributes simply irresistible...

The waiting was over and the thinking - for now - banished. The door to the elevator opened, and the band of mercenary fighters stepped out to meet their fate...

Ultimecia was beginning to wonder when the kursed SeeDs would appear. Destroying the core members of SeeDs was one thing, killing precious time when it could be more purposefully used, was another. A small eerie smile crept onto her face - _Rinoa's_ face - distorting the pretty features of the Forest Owl leader's face. She watched with obscure admiration at the six figures of the young teenagers emerging amidst the dark gloom of Balamb Garden's basement floor.

Fools, she thought. _Damned, insolent fools!! They never did quite successfully destroy me. Foolish of them to assume that they had annihilated me so easily like that_. _They were satisfied with killing the physical part of me. How very wrong... My soul remains, and with this body I shall restart my reign of terror!!_

It took all his self-control and inner strength not to yell out her name. Squall wished he hadn't glanced into the dark coloured eyes that used to be full of so much life and spirit, all was left now was a deep bottomless void. _Rinoa…_ Squall's mind called in silent anguish. His mind faltered, his voice catching in his throat. He was lost for words and was speechless.

Zell and Seifer on the other hand had no problem expressing their initial thoughts.

"Damn, man…" Zell muttered, digging his gloved hands into the pockets of his long shorts.

"_Shit_!!!…" Seifer swore under his breath, yet not quiet enough to not escape unheard.

Quistis covered her mouth with a hand to hide the gasp, Selphie blinking rapidly in disbelief, and Irvine whistling low. This was bad.

"You looked surprised," came the voice of Rinoa, a sinister menace lurking in the tone of voice she spoke in. "You shouldn't have left them unguarded, Squall.

The young teenager absolutely started, a nerve hammering away at his jaw. He had left Rinoa and Matron unattended. He had vowed to be Rinoa's knight when she had become a sorceress. _Rinoa…… Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll… I'll be your knight. _He had failed her…

"Don't you dare turn into putty, Leonhart," Seifer said sharply. He could see the way his expression faltered and behind those crystal blue eyes of his. The signs were there. "Fail me now and you'll find a gunblade against your throat."

Crystal blue eyes flashed in irritation. Squall wanted to say something back, to prove that Ultimecia's power of manipulation was not getting to him - when in truth he had _allowed_ the sorceress of the future to so. _Damn you..._ "You're compressing no world," Squall grounded to the tall yet strikingly beautiful, in a dark and sinister way, sorceress from the future.

A reply came in the form of shrill high-pitched laugh. "Whatever you do, you will just be delaying the inevitable." Rinoa stated. "With me reigning time, and this world compressed? It is all fated to happen. Written in the stars. It is the world's destiny."

"She's got a thing with compressing our world, huh?" Irvine said, watching the sorceress with a face that clearly read that he thought she was crazy. Irvine wasn't alone in that thought. "And this destiny thing,"

"Like with all things, there are people, who have the power to change what can happen in the future," Squall replied, his voice monotonous and cool. "That's what the purpose of SeeD is. That's us."

"I admire you for your bravery, _SeeDs_," Ultimecia sneered. "But the brave are always the first to die."

"Correction: the losers are always the first to die. You fall beneath that category." Seifer stated smugly. _Using bodies that aren't yours, that's cheap..._

"Squall!!!" In that split second there, Squall saw the Rinoa he knew. Bright eyed lively Rinoa Heartilly. In the instant she had called out to him, she was forced back into the black depths, replaced by the darkness.

"Don't resist me," Ultimecia spat acidly. "You do not have the strength nor the will power to repel against me."

"Why them?" Irvine asked. "Why Rinoa and Matron. Out of all the people in the world, why did it have to be their minds and bodies you controlled?"

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Zell said to the cowboy. "Use your brain, man. Edea- Matron's a sorceress and so's Rinoa. Geez, it's sooo obvious."

"Then how comes I didn't see that?" Irvine asked.

"Maybe 'cos-"

"Uh, back to the matter at hand?" Quistis suggested.

"Give it up Ultimecia," Squall said, stepping up to the sorceress. He couldn't rid his mind of Rinoa's eyes, the way that had appealed to him. Pleading him to break her free. "There's no need to get others involved. The rift you have? That's between you and SeeD- us."

Ultimecia chuckled. "Ah, you SeeDs. Despite your annoying tendencies, you are however the focal point of my amusement."

"I hate being the source of people's amusement," Seifer growled quietly. "I'm not something to be laughed at."

"There's is no need for further fighting," she continued, not hearing what Seifer had said. "Fighting wastes precious energy. All you have to do is allow time compression to occur."

"And you know we cannot allow that to happen," Quistis put in firmly.

Eyes narrowed, Rinoa's blank stare remained fixed on the pink-clad SeeD for a while. "I see you have recovered, my dear," Ultimecia commented. "You have a strong body..."

"Back off witch!" Seifer snarled, coming to stand in front Instructor Trepe - a look of pure hatred on the young rakish face. "You ain't gonna get any more puppets to mess with."

"Seifer..." the sorceress cooed. Her gaze diverted, Quistis blinked rapidly, her eyebrows creased in mild confusion. "Seifer, Seifer, Seifer. My knight,"

"Not any more," he said brandishing his weapon at her. "You've gotta be stopped. No one is safe with you around. As a spirit, you're even more deadly. In spirit form, you'll be able to take control of virtually anybody."

Ultimecia stifled a yawn. "You're mind has become exceedingly boring, my knight. I see being away from me has dampened your true spirit and dulled your imaginations."

"Being away from you has made me somewhat more sane," Seifer corrected. _If that's possible_, he added as an after thought under his breath. "I've got control of my mind again."

"You were confused," Ultimecia said shaking head as if in pity. "You needed guidance. I was there to guide you amidst the maddening crowd of this world. You were a lost boy in the rain. I helped you find your way. I believe you are still lost; still only a boy. You're place-"

"Shut up!!" Seifer yelled, covering his ears with his gloved hands - to stop the nonsense that Ultimecia was spuing. His gunblade fell to the floor with a clatter as he went down on his knees.

"Manipulation shall not work with us, Ultimecia," Quistis informed, the coldness of her voice reflecting the cool blue glint in her eyes.

She stopped to pick up the fallen gunblade and placed it back into the hands of Seifer who had now arisen. "You are unwilling to relent with your plans to compress a world that you know you have no right to have, and we cannot allow that to happen. You are to be eliminated."

Rudely the sorceress stifled another yawn - a bored yawn. Ultimecia turned away from the instructor, paying her attentions to Squall who stood watching her every move, a mixture of hate, anger and resentment on his face. "Such a handsome young man," she murmured.

"Quit playing games, Ultimecia," Squall grated in half annoyance. The deep void of those eyes were drawing him in… he couldn't tear them away…

"Yoo-hoo, Squall?" Selphie said worriedly, noting the transfixed expression he wore on his face. It was the same look Squall usually had when he went and drifted off into his own world where nobody was able to reach and he was alone with his thoughts. She waved frantically in front of his face to catch his attention.

"Yo, Squall, man! Snap out of it!!" Zell said, snapping his fingers at him.

"Evil bitch," Seifer muttered, unsteady on his feet. He directed a mild Fira spell crookedly in Ultimecia's direction. The aim was to break the contact - the enchantment she held Squall in. The move worked and at the same time it managed to aggravate the sorceress enough to counter the magic move with one of her own. In her temper, the three sorceresses' combined, hurled an Ultima spell at the trench-coat-wearing boy.

Nimbly, though it was a little of a close shave, Seifer dived away; winding himself in the process yet unharmed. Meanwhile, Squall swiftly recovered from the hypnotic stare, Ultimecia had held him in. Inside, Squall silently grilled himself for being led astray so easily when he knew of the capabilities Ultimecia had. _Good one Leonhart. Let Ultimecia play at your weakness why don't you?!_

The Ultima spell that was meant for Seifer flew and exploded harmlessly once it contacted with the floor, bursting into an immense clouded mass of green. _Whoa, that was close_, he thought, appreciating the fact that he had narrowly escaped being caught in the Ultima spell and preventing himself from being completely obliterated.

"You heard Instructor Trepe!" Zell shouted at the sorceress. "No compressing or messin' with people's minds. We don't need your agro, so give up now."

"What? Surrender so easily to beings less superior than me? What an embarrassment that is, to myself most of all! And not to depart without a fight?"

"Fight?! You wanna fight?! You got one!!" Zell said, coming forward and balling his fists.

Selphie came forward and yanked the martial arts expert back, whispering fiercely in his ear. "What about Rinoa and Matron? They're in there too, Zell!"

"Oh yeah," Zell agreed, retracting his fists.

"How shall you figure _that_ one out?" Ultimecia inquired a look of curiosity on her face as she spoke. "I am sure would not like to damage such a precious treasure."

We can't fight Ultimecia and not inflict damage on Rinoa and Matron… We have to somehow separate the three, then we can focus our attacks the sorceress we. Exactly how do we go about doing that? Squall questioned himself.

"No time to dawdle, Squall," Seifer warned, clutching the butt of his gunblade more firmly in his grasp, yet frowned at himself in hearing him call puberty boy by his first name.

"We have to stop and think first-" Squall objected.

"Stop and think?! That takes time and time takes too much time." Seifer argued, adding to himself in a slightly befuddled look. "Does that even make sense?!"

"Remember who's in there," Irvine said pointedly.

"No need to tell me twice, cowboy, I can see it!" Seifer snapped. Irvine had spoken in a way that suggested that he was simply plunging into battle without thinking of the consequences first - which was partly true… He hastily apologised for his rudeness.

"So what are we gonna do?" Selphie asked.

That's a good question, Squall thought. _I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to that question myself…_

"Squall?" Selphie said, looking up expectantly at him.

With a frustrated sigh, Squall ran a hand through his hair, dishevelling it. Despite being the youngest out of the whole group of teenagers, Squall at that time looked considerably older than he really was. "This sounds kinda bad, especially as commander: I don't know." _I honestly don't know_.

"What-" Seifer began, a grin playing about his face - mockery waiting to be said.

"That's enough, Seifer," Quistis warned meaningfully. "Now is not the time."

"This is serious man!!" Zell joined in angrily.

"Let's not start, shall we?" Seifer advised. "We've got more _serious_ things to handle, huh?"

"I'm stumped," Irvine announced, fixing his hat more firmly onto his head. "Don't know what we're going to do."

"This seems impossible to figure out," Selphie said, looking lost. "How are we meant to get to Ultimecia without doing damage to Rinoa and Matron?!"

"Let's go," Squall suddenly announced that nobody fully registered what he had said until they took notice of him entering the elevator. "I'm going back upstairs," he said pressing the first floor button.

"Hey, wait up, man!" Zell called after him. "We've got to-"

A brief glance in Ultimecia's direction who returned his gaze with the darkness within those eyes of her. "She's not going to go anywhere." He said.

"You sure?" Selphie said uncertainly, slowly approaching the elevator whilst glancing doubtfully at Ultimecia.

"She's not going to go anywhere," Squall repeated again then spoke in a quieter voice. "To succeed in her plans, she needs us out of the way. You saw how she manipulated me, manipulated Seifer. She still wants her bit of fun."

"And where might you be going?" Ultimecia inquired, their departure piquing her interest. "Not going to fight me?"

"We have to consider a few factors before we can begin battling you." Squall answered, arms folded across his chest. "You've held two people hostage. We have to figure out a way to get to you without harming them."

"Why am I being told this?" Ultimecia asked. "Wouldn't that be like showing your cards to the opponent? I shall now know what to expect and what your intentions are."

"That's good," Squall said.

"It is?" Zell asked Instructor Trepe who didn't seem to understand what Squall was trying to achieve.

"You'll know what to expect, that's good," Squall went on.

"Oh, why's that?" she said a curious look on her face.

"Because we're SeeDs. SeeDs are the best fighters that Garden has to offer. Don't expect no mercy from us. So prepare to admit defeat."

"Hey Squall, wait up!!" Selphie piped, running after the boy who was striding out of the lift. "So, do you have an idea?" she asked him eagerly, the six of them exiting the lift and coming to stand in front of the Directory.

The short answer is... no, Squall thought and would have wanted to say. Instead he said, "Not yet," he said slowly and uncertainly.

"But you'll think of something, right?" Irvine said.

"If anyone else has any idea, feel free to mention them," Squall said some what miffed that because he was Commander it automatically meant that he did all the thinking. "I'm sure we'll get somewhere faster if we all think."

"Can't think on an empty stomach," Zell was heard to mumble. The solution to fulfilling his empty stomach... lay in the direction of the Cafeteria.

Seifer threw a look of disgust at Zell and muttered something under his breath. _Is hotdogs _all _he can think about!?_ "I say we should've taken her on there and then," Seifer spoke up. "If any problems came up we could have improvised."

"We can't just go and face her, throwing reckless spells, Guardian Forces and out own physical attacks. It would surely kill them." Squall said, the strain in his face and eyes reflected the hardship he was coming to terms with to find a solution.

"Aren't you being a little lax? Remember Squall, although Ultimecia is not in her rightful body, she is however just as deadly in terms of Magic." Quistis said, recalling the Hell Judgement attacks Ultimecia used quite frequently when they had fought her. The attack reduced everyone's hit points to one. A problem if people did not counter the attack swiftly enough. "Squall, I know it must be hard for you, what with Rinoa and everything... there's Matron too of course, but I don't think we can afford to be lenient on this occasion. Ultimecia has the power to destroy as all in one quick attack. Yes, we should take precautions and be careful with what we attack them with-"

Don't you think I'm doing all I possibly can to try and save Rinoa and Matron. It's not easy when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders and you carry the fate of two important people in your life, in your hands. It isn't easy. Sometimes, it's hard... "Like I said before, Ultimecia is no threat to us yet. She cannot proceed in her plans to compress the world until she has the satisfaction in removing us form the equation. And she needs Odine because he has Ellone's extracted powers. We have him, so for now Ultimecia's stumped." he patiently explained.

"But we need to sepa-"

Would you be satisfied if I broke down in front of you?! Squall thought angrily. _I've gotta suppress some of my feelings and retain _some _of my dignity_.

"It wouldn't be so hard if only I knew of a way to separate the three of them, even is it's only for a short while, so that we can at least have more focus in destroying Ultimecia." Squall said, showing his frustration by stabbing the end of his gunblade into the marble floor within Balamb Garden.

Squall knew it wasn't like him to lash out at friends, in particular Instructor Trepe. It was there though. It was at the tip of his tongue to say what was going on hid mind, but he held back. Sometimes, people wanted to get a little too close and personal with him. With some people he could do that. Not even Rinoa knew the real Squall Leonhart, the person behind the crystal blue eyes - the true person beneath the SeeD, the fighter who held a gunblade.

For a moment Squall thought he was a kid again, surrounded by his friends and Matron at the Orphanage. He could hear the gentle rumble of the waves tumbling and lolling back and forth on the beach. To his right, the tall structure of the lighthouse was clearly visible against the sharp blue sky...

"We've lost him again," Seifer drawled.

"Earth to Squall, come in Squall!!" Selphie hollered, jumping up and down and waving her arms wildly in front of him. "You've gotta stop doing that," she told him, wagging her finger like a mother to her child when she/he had done something bad. "Let us come into your own world too!"

Everybody eyed Squall warily, and at each other. Maybe they should have settled with Squall's usual introverted and quiet thinking. Each of them knew exactly how deadly Squall could be in battle. No one _ever_ wanted to be in the receiving end of his Renzokuken Limit attack especially if it meant finishing off with a Lion Heart...

"Uh, Squall?" Zell said cautiously. "You wanna be left alone?"

"Yeah," Squall muttered, brushing past Selphie and not noticing her look of worry and hurt in usually sunny face. Irvine came up behind her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'll be down in Balamb for a while if anyone wants to find me." he informed as he departed. Not that anybody wanted to disturb him. It was evident he did not want to be disturbed and nobody was going to argue with that.

Long after he had left the remaining five of them still stood in front of the Directory after a good ten minutes silence. Selphie stirred a restless foot on the floor and peeked at each of her friends to check on how they were taking things in. Zell stuffed his hands into the pockets of his long blue shorts and caught Selphie's worried open face. He gave her a lop-sided smile of encouragement. She returned the smile and felt slightly better afterwards. Without realising, Quistis had found that Seifer had moved slightly closer to her and wore a frown. She frowned herself, her concern for Squall becoming evident because Seifer was speaking to her.

"You shouldn't frown," he said quietly to her.

"Why's that?" she did not bother facing him because she wasn't sure if she would be able to hold his gaze of cold blue steel...

"It doesn't suite your pretty face,"

"A compliment, Seifer?" Quistis said lightly to cover her embarrassment. Many male students admired Quistis for her beauty as well as being an apt teacher. Somehow, compliments coming from Seifer meant a great deal more. Could there possibly be... "I find that hard to take in seeing as all you can manage is nothing but childish name-calling, notably Zell and less so, Squall." She made a move towards Selphie. Seifer restrained her from doing so by firmly taking her by the arm.

"I only said it doesn't suite your pretty face, because it's the truth," he said honestly, a lazy smile forming. "As for name-calling, did anyone ever try asking me to stop?"

"No! Because nobody thought anyone could ever get to you!" Quistis said fiercely, jerking her arm away from his grasp.

"You've still to try..." he said, his voice a whisper by her ear. Quistis froze on the spot, whirled round and said nothing. Her eyes said it all.

Purposefully she jerked her arm back and stuck up a conversation with Selphie who was examining the Directory even though she knew the structure of Balamb Garden and where everything was located, inside out.

"Selphie..." Seifer did not bother to listen to the rest, settling with a smile to himself. He saw Zell watching him with mild curiosity, and smiled even further. The broadened smile did not please Zell who sidled up to Irvine whilst sending furtive glances in Seifer's direction as he spoke to the sharpshooter.

With Ultimecia temporarily banished from his mind, Seifer was at a lost. Then he remembered something and headed left from the Directory and to the Quad. He heard Irvine calling him.

"Hey, where you going?"

"I'm gonna go look for Raijin and Fujin," Seifer replied, not turning back as he disappeared into the Quad.

"Oh man! I just realised!!" Zell said, a petulant expression on his youthful face. "The Cafeteria..." "'...Is closed..."'

"We can't be thinking about food, now, Zell!" Selphie exclaimed to him. "We gotta come up with a plan like Squall said."

"Awe, but I'm hungry!!" Zell whined.

"When are you _never_ hungry?" Irvine wanted to know.

"Not me," Zell said raising his hands in innocence. "It's my stomach. Being a SeeD requires energy. When the stomach demands, I gotta deliver."

Quistis sighed, shrugged her slim shoulders and rolled her eyes skywards. "Until Squall says so, and until we come up with a plan, there is very little we can do. Shall we go to Balamb and stop over at the cafe there? We have to make sure we stay out of Squall's way. I'm sure he'd appreciate the privacy and the time to be on his own.," she said. "Perhaps you could go and visit your mother too, Zell. You haven't paid her a visit for a while now." Quistis suggested to him.

"Yeah, I need to go and say hi to Ma. Maybe she'll have some hotdogs... All right! Let's go!" Zell enthused, setting off towards the exit.

"Selphie, Irvine? Coming?" Quistis asked following Zell.

"Yay! I wanna go try that yummy cake they have with loadsa cream and a cherry on top!!" Selphie said beaming with excitement and skipping to where Zell was standing and waiting impatiently.

Irvine stretched, lacing his hands together and bending backwards to loosen his muscles. "Ahh, what the heck!" he said grinning, threading his arms with Quistis' like they were a couple. Instructor Trepe, however, was not impressed. Her face spoke great volumes.

"What about Seifer?" Selphie asked, noticing the short number of people.

"F'get him," Zell said, urging them all down the steps and towards the barriers.

"But what if he wants to come!" Selphie protested holding her ground.

"For Ifrit's sake!!" Zell said loudly in exasperated tones. "He's gone to find Raijin and Fujin. If he wanted to come he would've stuck with us."

"Good point," Irvine agreed.

"Look, there he is now!" Selphie said, pointing at the tall figure donned in the grey trench coat. "Seifer!!" she shouted, motioning him to come towards them. "We're gonna go down to Balamb. Wanna come with us?"

By his reckoning and judging by the way Quistis was sending him a speaking look, unwelcome in his eyes and Zell's sour expression, a mischievous smile crept onto his lips. He waved cheerily back at Selphie, "Ok," he called back, making sure he avoided the murderous look coming from Quistis.

Patience running low, Zell took the lead of the five-person party and strode eagerly out of the grounds of Balamb Garden and onto the open road that led directly to the town of Balamb. "Hey, keep to the road, ok?" he said to them. "I don't wanna waste time fighting a low levelled Caterchipillar."

"Yeah whatever," Irvine returned, gesturing to the martial artist in a shooing motion. He walked beside Selphie in a slightly slower pace than Zell, who was practically striding. Selphie began humming again, her green eyes twinkling with happiness and a smile to match. Nothing ever seemed to get the Trabia Garden girl down, not even from a sorceress from the future. That left Quistis and Seifer to bring up the rear.

Whether now was the time to be discussing about 'them', Seifer was wholly was not sure. Quistis on the other hand preferred their little 'game' be held after they had finished with Ultimecia. It was n good to be bombarded with so many thoughts and problems. It was easy to drown in them. Seifer on the other hand did not take this into consideration and decided to try and bring up the topic to see if Instructor Trepe would comply.

"We need to sort this out," he said to her, without meeting her eyes. Quistis' face opened in surprise. She gave a short laugh. Seifer turned and looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. "_We_?" she said.

"Yes, _we_," he said, adding emphasis to the 'we'. "We've gotta stop playing this game and set the record straight."

"_Game_?" Quistis echoed.

"Are you saying you want something serious outta me?" Seifer said, irritated that Quistis would be messing around like this.

"No, I didn't mean that," Quistis said. "I'm wondering what game you're talking about."

"The game that you keep on playing with me," this followed another short laugh from the girl. She was being silly by feigning ignorance - for a young woman like Quistis, it was foolish of her pretending to be stupid. That was something she was not.

"I still don't know what you're talking abou-" Quistis said gasping softly when she took her by the arm, halting her step. The other three continued walking up the road oblivious to the fact that Seifer and Instructor Trepe no longer followed them.

"Quit messing around, Quistis," Seifer said, his hand still around her arm.

How many times has he put his hand around my arm? She wondered. She had the urge to shrug his hold off. She didn't have to respond to him. He couldn't make her. "Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about." she persisted. Why she continued to do so, she was not sure.

"This game you keep playing with me," he repeated.

"It was you who started all this," Instructor Trepe was quick to point the blame away from her. There was no point procrastinating. It was best to get everything out in the open and have it sorted out.

"How do you figure that one out?" Seifer asked. He obviously did not agree with her on getting the blame.

"You made a mistake. You stayed behind back at the research facility," Quistis reminded him. "And you saved my life," she added.

Seifer sighed inwardly. Not this again. "Would you rather I had left you behind? Leave you to be blown pieces? Can't you find a better excuse, Instructor? Really, the one you have is so lame." Now the blond boy was confused. He could not understand this girl he was standing with. Here she was, playing games with his heart and feelings, pretending that she didn't know what he was banging on about, and blaming him for saving her life?! Seifer shook his head and sighed to himself again. _There's women for you, Almasy_, he mentally told himself. _More complicated than the physics behind Time Compression._ "Well?"

"So _I'm_ meant to take the blame?!" Quistis said waspishly.

"Why does someone have to take the blame for? The blame for what?" Seifer demanded. He didn't know how long this charade would go on but it had to stop soon because patience was not a strong point for the tall blond boy. "This isn't about taking the blame for anything."

"Can you let go of me?" she said curtly, glaring up at him and prying his fingers off her arm that had stayed there a little too long.

"Please," he prompted, his blue eyes laughing at her. He had that smirk on his face again!

"Don't push your luck," she warned, giving up on removing his hand and standing very still.

"Oh, I dunno," Seifer said, his voice adopting a thoughtful tone. "Stretching your luck could lead somewhere." He raised both eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"You see!!" the unexpected outburst from the 5' 6" strawberry blond haired girl took Seifer aback and in his surprise he released his hold on her.

"What?" he asked.

Quistis blinked furiously up at him. Now who the one feigning ignorance?! "_You're_ the one who's playing games. I'm not the one who makes suggestive comments it's _you_. You keep on making these moves on me, and, and... Don't say I'm flattering myself, Seifer Almasy, because I'm not!" She went and stood directly in front of him and jabbed a finger at his chest to punctuate every word she said. She wasn't just angry - she was absolutely livid!

This time he placed a finger against her lips to quieten her. "Sssh. You're becoming hysterical." He said in an odd gentle voice.

Somehow this seemed to calm her down. She took a shaky breath and exhaled slowly, letting all the anger and frustration flow out of her. Quistis began walking again - large determined strides, away from his voice - away from _him_. Seifer called out to her by her name, she ignored it, even when she had entered Balamb Town she ignored Seifer's requests to slow down and listen to him.

"It's love," Irvine stated with an unambiguous certainty.

"Love?! Pu-_lease_, Seifer love anybody? Yeah, right!" Zell said unconvinced.

"Oh believe me," Irvine said nodding his head. "I know these things. The chemistry is there."

"Pu-lease..."

"I agree with Irvine," Selphie said nodding also. "Remember there was something going on with Seifer and Rinoa? I don't see why there can't be something between Instructor Trepe and him. I think they make a cute couple. Instructor Trepe would be great for Seifer, she'll keep him under control."

"Now you mention it, yeah I think there's something going on between them, too. Man, how many times did I see them trying to get it on! Once was in the elevator in Balamb Garden and another was in the Ragnorak. They didn't actually get to, uh, get any closer than two inches, 'cos I uh..."

"You what?" Selphie and Irvine both asked with interested looks on their faces.

"Aahhh, Zell you peeping-" Irvine said and laughed at Zell's red face.

"What?! I didn't do it deliberately!!" Zell declared.

"Sure you didn't," Irvine derided, unable to stop his shaking shoulders.

"I didn't!" he insisted. "The elevator just opened and there they were. Squall was with me; he can back me up! And, and the second time I had to go deliver a message to Instructor Trepe."

"Oh _sure_. _You_ had to be the one to deliver the message," Irvine was enjoying seeing Zell squirm.

"Hey, Selphie was at the pilot seat. And it wasn't as if _you_ were gonna budge from your place next to her." Zell argued heatedly. "They should've locked the door if they wanted to get up close and personal."

The door to the Dincht's residence opened and in stepped Quistis. She did not come straight into the next room where Zell, Selphie and Irvine sat discussing about her and Seifer. Showing politeness and courtesy in being a guest at someone else's home, Quistis briefly spoke to Mrs. Dincht who was in the kitchen busily washing dishes and cooking at the same time. The older woman chatted amiably with her and questioned Quistis on Zell's behaviour at Balamb Garden.

"He's... behaving himself," Quistis said smiling at the number of times Zell and Seifer had been close in engaging battle and the arguing between the two. _Seifer_?! That was the last person she wanted to be thinking of! Quistis left Mrs. Dincht to attend her business and joined the others at the back of the house.

Upon her entrance, the back room of the Dincht's home where Zell, Selphie and Irvine lounged fell to a hushed silence. Quistis studied them all suspiciously, her blue eyes gleaming with curiosity on what or _whom_ they had been discussing before her arrival. Selphie flashed a guilty smile and waved enthusiastically. Irvine adjusted his hat to hide his face. Zell gave a nervous laugh saying, "S'up Instructor Trepe?"

"Considering the conscience-stricken masks that you are all wearing, it's my guess that you have something to hide. From me?" Quistis asked, looking at them in turn with an expectant face. "Well?"

"H-Hide?" Zell stammered. "What makes you say that?"

"Your scared expression. It resembles that of a hunted animal, Zell." Quistis replied. She folded her arms and turned to Selphie.

She folded her arms, Selphie noted guiltily. _That means she's serious_. "N-Nothing, Quistis!" she squeaked. The auburn headed girl attempted to persist and pulled a long face when the older girl contorted her face to one that clearly indicated that she didn't believe her.

"Irvine?"

"Instructor Trepe," the sharpshooter began removing his cowboy hat and placing it against his chest around the region of his heart. He gave a solemn look and proceeded with his smooth talk, unfazed by the quirk in Quistis' rose coloured lips. "Unlike _them_," a small incline of his brown hair to specify Zell and Selphie who sat on the floor while he preferred a standing leaning-against-the-wall casual stance. "I do not talk behind the back of my favourite-"

Quistis Trepe held up a gloved hand signalling the student originally from the Galbadia Garden to halt his tirade of sucking up to her. "Flattery will not get you anywhere, Irvine." she told him gravely.

"You sure?" Irvine asked replacing his hat back on top of his head. "It worked with the blon-"

"Flattery will not get you anywhere with _me_," Quistis clarified. From the corner of her eye she good see Zell and Selphie stifling their laughs which were only evident through the uncontrollable shaking of their shoulders. Quistis smiled slightly herself.

"Where did he go?" Zell asked when he was done with laughing.

"'He'?" Quistis said puzzled.

"Don't make me say his name," Zell implored. "Y'know, S.A. He was with you when we walking down to Balamb, wasn't he?"

Oh him. Quistis thought somewhat sourly. "Uh, I don't know. I went one way, and he went another."

"Aaahh," the three said in unison winking at each other as they said this. The wink did not go unnoticed.

The blond girl creased her brow together to form a frown. "What's that meant to mean?" she demanded.

"Nuthin'," Zell replied grinning to himself.

"It doesn't seem like 'nothing' to me," Quistis informed. "Why do you want to know where Seifer is, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing," Selphie said smiling gaily.

Irritated, the instructor was heard to say a small 'hmph!' then leaving the room and to talk to Mrs. Dincht before leaving without an explanation or where she would be heading to.

"Wonder where she's going?" Irvine inquired thoughtfully to the two on the floor.

"Maybe she's gonna go look for Seifer," Zell suggested wickedly - a broad grin etched on his face.

He didn't know where Instructor Trepe had disappeared. Seifer had been calling her name, telling her to stop walking but she hadn't listen to him. _Guess it's only fair since I don't seem to listen to anyone else_, Seifer reasoned to himself. Even when they had entered Balamb, up to the point of the garage where you could rent a car, he had been calling her. Asking her, in what he thought was a very polite way, to wait for him to catch up so that he could explain, to some how sort out this mess he had managed to get himself caught up in.

But no. Not even 'please' would work. He couldn't grab her by the arm, to demand her to listen to him. Unless he wanted another slap on the face - the possibility was there - he did not want to risk such a thing. All he could do was watch her striding down the cobbled path leading to the heart of the seaport town - watch the anger she felt with every step she took until she disappeared from his sight. He did not go after her. There was no point if Quistis refused to hear him out. It was better to let her cool off before trying to approach her again.

Passing the Balamb hotel, walking down the spiral path that led to the harbour, Seifer surveyed the breathtaking view of the sea and inhaling the salty sea air. Balamb had not changed since he last remembered entering the town. The vast stretch of water seemed to calm him. He travelled the short journey to the harbour in the hope that his mind would become somewhat more clearer because right now too many thoughts, feelings and emotions swarmed inside his head that he felt an ensuing headache coming.

One thing that Seifer did not - had not - expected to find down at the harbour, was a sombre looking Squall standing at the end of the pier gazing outwards into the endless blue. Arms resting on the barrier, Squall lowered his chin onto his arms and stared at his reflection in the water. What stared back at him was a boy, a young boy who wore the face of one who was extremely scared. Squall was frightened. Although his shadowy expression didn't reveal much beneath the disguise that he wore, Squall was feeling intense anxiety leading to the point where he was completely helpless.

All the training he had endured since arriving at Garden, all the education and background information he had been taught that was to prepare him for life as a SeeD, did very little to help him with his current problem. Squall was powerless. What use was a gunblade to him when he couldn't fight personal demons that tormented his very thoughts, played with his heart and tortured his soul? That kind of feeling hurt him more than any kind of physical wound. _What am I going to do? Rinoa... GOD!!!!! Somebody help me find an answer. I don't want to lose her. I was close. I nearly did lose her I don't want to. I need you Rinoa... We- I-_. clenching one hand into a fist, Squall could feel the tears about to spill over the dam, he was on the brink of breaking down...

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted the dark headed boy to his senses. Hastily, Squall rapidly blinked his eyes to rid himself of the tears that threatened to fall. The last thing Squall wanted was Seifer taunting him. If the older blond boy was not careful, things could get nasty and result in using weapons...

"I thought I made it clear I wanted to be left alone?" Squall said not hiding the sharpness in his voice.

Seifer was not deterred by the all too non-subtle hint. He motioned for the other boy to budge up to make room for him. Atypically, Squall complied. Maybe it was the fear of succumbing to his inner most feelings. Left to his own devices, Squall feared that he might lose all dignity and composure that was required as a SeeD. Having Seifer for company would keep him on edge and might even snap him out of his ridiculous misery. He was meant to think positively! SeeDs were trained to ultimately defeat the sorceress when the time came. That meant... _We have to kill Rinoa and Matron... That can't be the way things end..._ Angry with himself for being pitifully weak-hearted, Squall tightened his fist until it hurt. The good guys always won. Didn't they?

Screams and shouts pierced the normally peaceful town by the sea, rising and swelling to reach the sky that was, moments before totally devoid of cloud. Now the sky was coated sparsely with thick dark masses, prophetically signalling coming of trouble.

Simultaneously Squall and Seifer jerked their heads towards the sound of the screams and shouts, which had, before then been bent low in deep contemplation. They both frowned at the alarm within those cries of fear and terror taking hasty steps forward.

"Look!!" Seifer said pointing a finger at the distance, a look of amazement and concern on his face.

Navigating his sight to where Seifer directed him to look, Squall gasped his eyes widening in monumental fear. The sky... He jolted into action and hurried out of the harbour. "Come on!!" he yelled to Seifer. "That's where Balamb Garden is!!"


	11. Resurrection - Rebirth of a Foe [Chapter...

FF8Ch21&22

Chapter Twenty-One - Shootin' the Breeze

****

Mrs. Dincht scrubbed at another plate encrusted with the remnants of eaten food. She peered at a stubborn stain and scrubbed at it more vigorously, hearing a bustling sound from outside once she had successfully removed it. Trouble and fighting was not a common thing in the peaceful town of Balamb, explaining the look of surprise and concern on Mrs. Dincht's face when she saw the store owner of the Weapons store come running out to join the hotel owner and the next door neighbours. She followed the direction of a person's finger, pointing at the hazy early afternoon sky.

Mrs. Dincht gasped in shock at the source of the commotion, her grip loosening on the plate she held so that it slipped and slid back into the sink filled with water and suds. A few of the suds escaped the confines of the sink, flicking onto the front of Mrs. Dincht's clothes. She did not worry about her discarded work, nor did she seem to mind that water had sloshed about, some spilling onto the kitchen floor and some on her. Choosing to ignore the minor mess made, Mrs. Dincht glanced guilty in the direction of the back of the room where Zell's friends: Irvine and Selphie sat. Zell meanwhile went and dashed upstairs to his room, muttering something along the lines of 'I haven't used it in ages'.

Wiping her hands with a tea towel, Mrs. Dincht came to the door, careful not to attract attention from the younger people in her house. Opening the door a fraction, the middle-aged woman peered from the gap and heard snippets of what was being said: 'Where's the smoke coming from?!', 'What do you think caused such a thing?', 'This could be serious. We need to inform somebody.' 'What if it's coming from one of the nearby forests?! It could be spreading. Help! We need help!!'. The last time Balamb ever encountered such a thing was when the town was taken under siege by Raijin and Fujin along with G-soldiers, acting under Seifer's instructions when searching for Ellone.

Selphie came out from the back room and curiously watched Zell's mother lingering by the doorway. She cocked her auburn head to one side and said quite suddenly that the woman jumped slightly. "Mrs. Dincht? Is there something wrong?"

The woman motioned for her to come to the door where she was and pointed at the small crowd of people that had now gathered outside and then she pointed to the sky where great billows of black cloud rose to the heavens, sending wisps in all directions.

"Oh, _nooooo_!!!" Selphie gasped staring on at the steady flow of smoke erupting from somewhere in the direction of the Fire Cavern. "Irvine, come here. Look at this!!"

The sharpshooter arrived to the front door promptly, adjusting his hat to get a better look at what Selphie was excitedly jumping and pointing out. "Whoo boy. That's bad," Irvine said. "Yep, definitely bad. We gotta find Squall."

No sooner had he said the latter's name when Squall himself appeared wearing a look of determination and worry at the same time. He ran past them in the direction of the town's exit. He obviously had not noticed Selphie and Irvine for he did not even take a glimpse back. Seifer was running close behind the dark head boy and saw other two gaping at what everyone else was gaping at.

"Don't just stand there with your mouths hanging open! Move your asses and run after Squall, he might need you in battle." Seifer barked when they simply stared back at him.

"What about Zell, he's upst-" Selphie began, hastily waving goodbye to Mrs. Dincht with Irvine tugging at her arm.

"_Go_! I'll go and find that chic-, uh, I mean I'll go and get Zell and Instructor Trepe. Hurry!" Seifer urged, flashing a smile at Mrs. Dincht's direction. _Insult the chicken right in front of his mother, you fool!_ "Where _is_ Quistis, anyway?" he called after them.

"We don't know," Irvine hollered back.

Sighing angrily, Seifer turned and glanced around him. He had come from the direction of the harbour, where Irvine and Selphie had headed off to was the exit to the town, leaving...

Without wasting more time, Seifer hurried towards the train-station, brushing past several people on his way they. He did not stop to apologise, confronted with mutters when he failed to do so. _Shove your insults back where they came from. If my guess if correct then Ultimecia's decided to make things more exciting for the world by introducing a little fear to you all. _Seifer grimly thought.

"Instructor!!" he yelled over the loud sound of a station announcement that was stating that all departures and arrivals would be delayed due to a slight problem within the area of Balamb Island.

The girl in pink glanced up at the sound of his voice, poised between purchasing a few Items. "What's wrong?" she asked, passing the money over to the storeowner.

"Come _on_!!" Seifer shouted. "Something's up outside the town. There's smoke and cloud everywhere. Squall and the others have gone. Hurry up!!"

Immediately Quistis abandoned her things and ran to Seifer's side, worry etched on her face. "Do you know what's the cause?" she questioned.

Seifer shook his blond head in seriousness, starting to run. "Nobody knows. Squall noticed it from the harbour. He thinks and _I_ think, it's Ultimecia."

"We shouldn't have underestimated her." Quistis said half to herself and half to Seifer as she struggled to keep up with his fast pace.

"We gotta go and get the chic-, I mean we gotta go and get Dincht, first." Seifer halted in front of the Dincht's residence and rapped on the door. Mrs. Dincht answered and smiled up at him and Quistis.

"Another one of Zell's friends?" she asked him.

Seifer started and gave a weak smile. "Uh, not reall-" he began but was not allowed to continue because Mrs. Dincht nodded her head benignly and asked him another question.

"Your name, dear?"

"Uh, S-, Seifer," he mumbled. He could tell Quistis was laughing at his sheepish state. He wondered why he was being asked what his name was. Zell's mother wasn't going to...

"ZELL!!" Mrs. Dincht called, leaving the door and standing at the base of the stairs. "You're friend Seifer and your instructor need you. Get a move on now, there's trouble going on outside the town."

"_WHAT_?!!" soon the martial arts expert came stumbling down the stairs, a look of pure horror mixed with revolt on his face. Venturing no further than the foot of the stairs, Zell scowled at the other boy. "Ma, did you just say that _he_-,"

"Move your ass, Z-, _Zell_," Seifer pressed through clenched teeth. Nodding to his Mrs. Dincht, Seifer abruptly left, unholstering his gunblade as he did so. The crowd out side had not wavered in number, and Seifer assumed that it would not until they were certain that the danger surpassed and were no longer a threat to them.

"SEIFER!! QUISTIS!! _HURRY_!!" Selphie's cry rang out like the clanging toll of a bell that reverberated inside Seifer's mind jolting his brain like a surge of electricity at an extremely high voltage. He whipped his head round saw Selphie's yellow/orange dress at the bottom of the cobbled path leading to the garage. She waved frantically at the two of them, motioning for them to follow her, then she took off.

"Where the hell is he?!" Seifer bit, ducking his head back into the house. Mrs. Dincht had gone back to her washing and cooking, but still no sign of Zell. "To hell with the chicken. Let's go,"

"Wait one minute-"

"One minute we can't afford to spare!" Seifer snapped with impatience. "He'll catch up," Taking her by the hand, Seifer led the way up the cobbled path towards the exit.

What started off as hurried walking now became running as the two of them halted to a stop at the garage.

"Jump on!" Selphie called from the back seat of a car.

The engine to the jeep was already running when they arrived and glancing in the mirror situated at the front of the car, Quistis could see and feel the impatience Squall was feeling. The moment Seifer's feet left the ground but were still bringing them into the safety of the vehicle, Squall had jammed on the accelerator and was speeding out of the garage in Balamb and recklessly driving out into the open road towards Balamb Garden.

"Ma, where'd they go?" Zell inquired in the kitchen after descending the stairs two at a time.

"Your friends? They've left, they seemed in an awful hurry. You'd better catch up with them, it seems important. There's smoke rising somewhere around Balamb Garden."

Cursing under his breath, Zell soon departed with a hasty 'bye!' to his mother. Speeding towards the garage, Zell was in time to see the jeep roaring away leaving a trail of smoke and dirt behind. "Guys!!!" he yelled after them knowing that they would not be able to hear him and respond. "Shit!" Stamping his foot he hurried back to his home and upstairs to his room. _No way I'm gonna catch up with them now. And I ain't gonna run that's for sure! _Zell thought, opening a cupboard and rummaging inside. "Where the frick is it!" he said to the room as he threw things to the floor. "Come on, come on-! Yes! Al_right_!!" the blond boy exalted, tugging a blue coloured object that strangely resembled a cross between a snowboard and surfboard. "Knew I had it somewhere," Zell said to himself placing an affectionate hand onto his T-board. "Time to test this baby out!" Wrenching his bedroom window open, Zell flung his T-board out into the street below. Then, without a moments thought he jumped out after it.

"WHOO-_HOOOO_!!" An excited Zell Dincht whooped at the top of his voice, landing with two feet firmly planted on his T-board after the three or so metre free fall from his bedroom window. Zipping pass surprised looking people, Zell grinned after them and saluted. "Later, y'all. I got some butt kicking to do!"

"Slow down, Squall," Quistis said fearfully from the back of the jeep when the vehicle swerved dangerously to the right to avoid jagged rocks littered on the road. "What good are we to Rinoa and Matron if we're dead!?"

"She's got a good point," Seifer agreed, grinning wickedly into the front view mirror. Squall caught the grin and flashed a look of annoyance.

Ignoring their pleads, Squall stepped on the accelerator bringing the metre near to ninety miles per hour.

"Hold on people, this is gonna be a rough ride!" Irvine said with one hand holding onto the seat in front and another holding his cowboy hat in place.

"Maybe you should slow down a little perhaps, Squall?" Selphie suggested as wind from the opposite direction sent her auburn air awry. "Ow! Something's in my eye!"

"On the open road you can expect all sorts of stuff flying. Debris, leaves, minute particles of dust, little flecks of stones..." Seifer commented solemnly in his seated Seifer-style position. He was trying to tick Squall off, he knew it and Squall knew it. Squall wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.

__

I don't want to-; I'm not going to be made responsible for the deaths of anyone especially Rinoa and Matron. He thought determinedly, his grip on the stirring wheel tightening. Zooming around the next bend and past nearby forests, Balamb Garden came into full view, the jeep almost careered out of control had Squall not jerked the stirring wheel on time.

"Holy sh..." Irvine shouted and pointed at the sight that greeted them.

"God damn..." Seifer was lost for words.

"Oh my..." Quistis whispered, her blue eyes widening in fear and shock.

"Oh _nooo_," Selphie cried in distress. For her, she knew what it was like to find a place she regarded as home. It happened to Trabia Garden only a year ago. Her plan was to divert the missiles that were intended for Balamb and Trabia Garden. Balamb escaped unscathed, but the same couldn't be said for Selphie's home Garden. Upon a visit to the frozen wastelands of Trabia, Selphie and the rest of the group saw for themselves the extent of the damage. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Furls of black angry smoke could be seen billowing out from the fire escape exit and the entrance to the Garden. The jeep they were all in skidded to a halt a good few hundred metres away so they would not inhale the fumes. Scrambling out, the five of them searched for any signs of life. There didn't appear to be any. No one could be seen running panic stricken away from the slowly burning. Selphie half lost heart and lowered herself onto her knees.

__

We weren't there when they needed us. We left Ultimecia with all the students, faculty... _and Headmaster Cid! What have we done??_ _We've let them all down. _"Headmaster Cid..." she said in a small dejected voice.

"Oh _man_!" Irvine said in half anger, his face contorted between regret and rage. "This ain't good."

"I'm not about to let her take my home," Seifer stated, resolutely making his way towards the burning structure.

"You can't-, we can't go in there!" Squall yelled after him.

"What?" Seifer turned adjusting to his mock tone. "You're gonna let a little fire get in your way? You're gonna let some sorceress take away your home? Sorry Squall, I thought you had more in you. Guess I was wrong." Turning back, Seifer continued to jog in the direction of the entrance not once glancing back to see if they would follow.

"I've spent most of my life back at Galbadia Garden. I hate to agree with him, but he's right, Squall. If that were my Garden burning to the ground I'd do everything I could to stop it being reduced to a pile of cinders." Shouldering his Exeter, Irvine Kinneas tipped the brim of his hat upward and then followed Seifer's lead.

"I would have to side with Seifer on this one too, Squall. Don't lose heart now. You mustn't. I'm sure we'll be able to find some survivors if we search around the Quad." Quistis said with what looked like a watery smile. "Strong as a lion, remember?"

Lions are known for their great strength and pride. Those were his exact words to Rinoa after he had rescued her from the cliff's edge during the onslaught between Balamb and Galbadia. _Some strength I'm showing_. Squall thought bitterly to himself. And then he remembered something, which was the reason for causing him to take action.

"... ... Everybody. This is Squall. How's everyone doing? You're all probably too tired to even stand up after all the fighting. But I want everyone to listen to me... We still have a chance to win and I need your help. This is going to be our final battle... SeeD was formed to fight the sorceress; at least that's what I heard. And Garden was created to train SeeDs. So this battle is Garden's destiny and also our destiny. It's a gruelling battle, and I'm sure you guys are all exhausted. But I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want anyone to look back and regret this day. So just this once, I want you guys to give everything you've got! For yourselves and for me!"

Mentally and physically he was exhausted. But he didn't want to have any regrets about this day. Squall wanted to look back in his life and feel a sense of pride just like a lion would. A sense of pride to match the feeling of achieving something great if the foe was overcome and defeated. Any future battles with the sorceress - whether it was an alternative form of Ultimecia or her successor - it was Garden's destiny and the destiny of SeeD to defeat her. For this day, it would be their final battle. Like Instructor Trepe had said: _You mustn't lose heart_. And he wouldn't.

Mouth set in a purposeful line and a face showing sheer grim determination, Squall clenched the butt of his Lion Heart weapon with his right hand, and with his left briefly held his Griever necklace. In two words Squall summarised the answer to Quistis' question: "Let's go."

"Surfin', surfin', surfin', surfin'. Shooting the breeze... Whoa-!??" The bombshell affected Zell like a blow to the solar plexus that he almost fell from his T-board out of pure shock. He had just rounded the bend, past a forest to be met with this horrific sight. At best, Zell would have thought that the smoke was the result of a poorly aimed Firaga spell at one of the Balamb forests. He never suspected that the black cloud wafting over to the town was coming from Balamb Garden itself!

Momentarily he stood hovering on his T-board, mouth agape and staring at the building flames. They had truly underestimated Ultimecia this time round! Despite inhibiting a body that was not hers, they had not anticipated that Ultimecia would decide to speed up the process of mass destruction by a little coercion. Evidently, patience was not one of her focal points!

"Squall!?" he called out to the burning the Garden, continuing in a fearful voice with the prospect of everyone killed swimming around his mind. "Instructor Trepe!? Selphie!? Irvine?!... Seifer??"

"Oh man, I've lost them..." the blond thought, fearing the worst. Disheartened, Zell jumped off this T-board, tucked it beneath his arm and surveyed the deserted plains around him. "Squall... and the others, gone... Oh man!" he repeated, bunching his brow together to form a frown that resembled a forlorn puppy dog expression. "Guys... I'm sorry..."

So absorbed was Zell in his guilt for not being there for his fellow team members, that he did not pay attention to the great shadow he was cast in from a large magnificent beast swooping down from amongst the thick clouds up in the sky. It was not until a strong gust brought on by the beating of it's wings, ruffling his peak of mohawkish blond hair, did Zell notice the enormous presence of another.

"What the-?!" he said, leaping to his feet when he saw the grey/silver metallic body of the Guardian Force, Bahamut. "Bahamut...??" said Zell dubiously. "If he's being summoned... then that means... They're alive!! Alright! YESSS, I knew they would be! Yo Bahamut, dude! Wait up!"

Inside, damage to the Garden's interior was not so bad as everyone had feared it to be. The steps leading up to the entrance hallway was smothered in the black smoke, but where the Garden branched off to it's various sections, the fumes and smoke were sparsely dissipated meaning that they could see slightly better.

"Irvine and Selphie up front with me!" Squall instructed thickly through the smoke. "Instructor Trepe and Seifer watch our backs! We'll head over to the Quad to check for any students or faculty, first."

"Squall, wouldn't it be more wise if we split up and reduce the time. Ultimecia could be-" Quistis objected from behind.

"I want everyone to stay close. If we split up, we run the risk of being in greater danger and prone to battles. Besides we're not an even group- Zell... where is he!?"

"He's on his way. He'll find us." Seifer said supplying a response.

"Right... keep your weapons close to you... there may be monsters lurking about the place."

Together they entered the Quad, minimal talking between the five of them as they tread with caution along the corridor leading them to their destination. The word 'subterfuge' entered Squall's mind when they drew near to the entrance. It reminded him of the time when he, Selphie and Zell were given their first ever assignment after graduating as a SeeD. It was to assist the resistance group: Forest Owls obtain Timber's independence against Galbadia. Rinoa had been thrilled to see the sight of Squall because it meant that finally her request for help had been answered. The number of letters she had sent over to Balamb Garden was such that she resolved to speak to Cid Kramer about her problem and current situation with Timber, herself and face to face.

Alone with his thoughts, Squall drifted unconsciously to this own world. Adjacent, on either side of him, Selphie and Irvine looked about them, wary and alert. And bringing the rear...

The appearance of one that is attentive and on guard was what the two eldest members of the team wore. Quistis' face was blank, years of perfecting and honing her skills for a day like this was poured out to now. A side-glance to her left told her that Seifer too was focused on their task. Noting that the three in front of her all had their weapons on hand, Quistis reached out to her left hip where her Red Scorpion was held in its clasp. Instinctively, Seifer reached out for his gunblade too, holstered on his right. Drawing weapons at the same time and quite close to each other meant that their hands touched.

Quistis' hand was the first to withdraw at lightning speed. Touching Seifer gave her a small jolt of electric shock, even though both of them were wearing gloves. "Ouch," she hissed softly at the pain.

"What?" Seifer was looking down at her arm-length brown glove. "What did I do?"

"A little shock," Quistis said unconcerned, moving again. She soon felt his hand on her arm the moment she began walking.

"Why must you always hold me back by taking me by the arm?" she hissed at him.

Seifer grinned at her and shrugged. "Maybe because asking you to stop, you won't listen?" he suggested.

__

True, Quistis agreed quietly in her mind. "I have nothing more to say," she said, ignoring the urge to lash out with her hand.

"You sure?" He was baiting her, he knew. He was asking for trouble, that he knew too. Seifer wanted to see where this would lead if he was careful to not push his luck, unlike on several occasions.

"Yes!" she lashed out. That signalled the end of that conversation.

Shrugging again with his boyish charm, Seifer brought his gunblade to his side and caught up with the rest of them.

"Looks like nobody's home," Selphie said in half disappointment and worry. Arriving at the Quad, they found the place deserted. Did that mean Xu and Nida instructed everyone to evacuate? Or had Ultimecia got to them first?

__

No! Must think happy thoughts! Selphie told herself. _Everyone's ok. They must've evacuated... and, and... headed for one of the forests until it's safe! Yeah, that's what they've done..._

"This was where the entire Garden faculty, students and SeeDs, assembled before we travelled to the basement floor to confront Ultimecia." Squall said, glancing round the barren Quad. "There's no sign of anyone... We have to assume the worst and that Ultimecia has eliminated them all..." A cynical statement, typical of that of the Squall everyone knew from last year was bound to receive cries of objection.

"No!!" Selphie said horrified at the thought.

"Don't say that!!" Even though this was not his Garden, Irvine still felt a sense of compassion for Balamb. After all, they had welcomed him with open arms as an outsider and as a student from Galbadia.

"That's terrible!!" Quistis said aghast.

"What?" Squall turned to face them all. "We have to prepare for the worst. It's no good being optimistic when things are on the down side. Life is not all it's cracked up to be... Life is not a bed of roses..."

"Oh, I'd disagree with that," Seifer said as a matter-of-factly. "I'd say life _is_ a bed of roses except the roses have very big, sharp thorns. Wouldn't that be a bit more exact?"

"...Whatever..." Squall said, folding his arms. _But it's true. Life isn't what everyone thinks it to be. So many struggles... so many disappointments... losing loved ones, making enemies, making friends... it all sums up to an eternal rollercoaster journey. I... I should know... I've come up against Life's negative drawbacks... disappointment, enemies, losing loved ones... I don't ever want to feel helpless and weak again..._ "We should brace ourselves," Squall continued.

"So where now? No one here but us," Irvine said, standing in the middle of Selphie and Instructor Trepe, his Exeter holstered and both arms draped around their shoulders. Selphie wriggled out of his touch while Quistis picked the arm around her shoulders and returned it to its owner and then stepped a few paces away from the Galbadian sharpshooter. Seifer watched this happen in mild interest though Squall ignored Irvine's activity.

Hiding his dashed hopes and fears that Ultimecia had truly eliminated all of Balamb Garden's inhabitants, Squall briskly set out along the Quad's Hallway and back out into the main area.

"We've got to put out the fire," Squall said thinking fast. "There's no chance of finding anyone in this growing smoke. We'll have to split into two groups, even I very much dislike to." After a long pause, Squall came to his conclusion. "Selphie and Irvine, with me. Instructor Trepe and Seifer, you're responsible for finding the source of the fire and extinguishing the flames. Maybe you should have Leviathan junctioned to one of you. Also, check this floor for any survivors in the Library, Cafeteria etc.

My group will check the classrooms on the second floor and Headmaster Cid's office on the third."

"But you'll have to take the elevator to the above floors. In an event of a fire, usage of the elevator is prohibited should it cease to work." Instructor Trepe objected. _Which it did when Seifer and I were inside..._ Quistis reminded herself.

__

In an event of a fire... Squall thought, running over the rules in his mind should an occasion such as this ever occur. _But this is an emergency. Should I stick to protocol despite the situation...? I hate this!_ "We'll have to take the stairs then." Squall eventually conceded much to his disapproval.

__

Ahh, Leonhart, you stickler for rules. Seifer thought, waiting for the signal to move out. Much to his own surprise, Seifer had been readily taking and listening to orders. Change...? _No change_, Seifer convinced himself. _Just waiting for the opportunity to take revenge._

Report back here in an hour and a quarter. I'll radio you should we find anyone." Squall said to Seifer and Quistis. "I want you to do the same if you locate any students during your search. Move out."

__

Where the hell did Bahamut go?! Zell wondered, dismounting his T-board and searching the vast emptiness of Garden's entrance hall. Arriving shortly after the rest of his teammates had divided apart. "Wait a sec-, what the-?!" he said out loud. "Bahamut's junctioned to me!! But... I didn't summon the GF...! I'm confused!"

This way human, a voice from within Zell's mind said.

"Who said that? Man... I must be going crazy!" Zell muttered worriedly.

This way! the voice repeated more sharply, a dark shadow passing over Zell's standing form.

"B-Bahamut? Is that you?" he called meekly.

Your comrades have begun a search for those who may have taken refuge against the fire and the sorceress Bahamut informed the martial artists. Dubbed as the king of GF, it was easy to understand why. With its magnificent and regal form and superior tone, Bahamut suited the title of 'king' perfectly well.

"Where, where are they?"

They have separated into two groups. One has taken the vertical ascender-

"Bahamut, it's called a lift."

The beast ignored this and continued relaying the information -and the other group are scouring the blocks of this building the GF concluded.

"I- we should join the guys who are on the 1F, it'd be easier. Do you know which block the second are in?" Zell asked.

They have just exited the North Block and are now heading eastwards towards what you humans call the Training Centre.

"Right, that's where we're going."

The Training Centre felt eerier now that Quistis knew that Garden was deserted. She had that overwhelming feeling inside her that something was lurking somewhere out there watching her. Monsters... Unconsciously she reached for the handle of her Red Scorpion and took a step closer to Seifer who was glancing about him, checking for students hiding amongst the ferns and bushes.

__

Like they really wanna increase their chances of stumbling into a T-Rexaur. He quietly rebuked himself. Though Quistis did not notice she had moved closer to Seifer, he certainly did. He raised an eyebrow down at her and caught her attention by speaking up.

"Instructor?" Quistis whipped her up and met his cool gaze with her sapphire eyes.

"Yes?"

"Are you cold? You're not giving me much room to about walk in." he indicated the little space between them which instantly increased by half a metre when he pointed this out.

Above, the afternoon sky had darkened considerably. The threat of an ensuing storm inevitable. "Sorry! No, no I'm not cold," she said, belying this by rubbing her upper arm which was exposed.

"Sure," he said flatly and began shrugging his grey trench coat off.

"No! Don't do that. I'm not cold-" Quistis protested earnestly even when Seifer had placed his coat about her shoulders, leaving him with just his navy waistcoat type vest on to cover his upper torso.

"So you say," he said, readjusting his grip on his gunblade. "Where are your glasses?" a question Quistis had never been asked before until now, causing her to delay her response.

"I, I only wear them while I'm teaching and during field exams." she replied. "Why?"

Seifer shook his head dismissively. "Just asking."

"Oh," Quistis was going to leave it at that, except Seifer had a faint smile on his face, which grabbed her attention and required further probing. "No, tell me."

"It's nothing," he insisted, his smile suggesting otherwise.

"Like I'm going to believe you!" Quistis exclaimed and rooting to the spot. "I want to know right now, Seifer Almasy."

"You _really_ wanna know?" he said.

"Yes!" she said impatiently. "I wouldn't be asking otherwise. And wipe that smarmy grin off your face, it's irritating."

He peered over low branches from a willow and shrugged a casual shrug. "You look different without them." he stated.

"And what's that meant to mean?" she demanded.

"Not what you're tone is suggesting, that's for sure." he turned to face her, grinned again and crossed a small bridge over a small running stream.

"Then tell me,"

"You look different without them," he repeated and shook his head at her persistence.

"Meaning?" Quistis pressed. "I want you to elaborate."

"Are you _that_ concerned on what people's opinions are of you?"

"No-"

"Then there's no need for me to go into detail." Seifer quickly interrupted.

"Tell me, please?" Quistis couldn't believe she was pleading with this guy to let her know what he meant by the words he said. Why? Did Seifer's assessment mean that much to her that she had to stoop to this level to find out? _What if he's going to insult you?_ She debated with herself. _What if he has nothing good to say about you at all? _Why _do you even care, Trepe?_

Stop winding her up, Almasy. Seifer berated himself. _Tell her that you prefer her with glasses on 'cos she looks sexier. And without them, you can look into her eyes and drown in them. Damn am I getting mushy_. _I think I'm gonna puke at how corny I'm getting._ "When I said you looked different without your glasses on, I meant that I can see your eyes better. The glasses hide your face and eyes." _Almasy, you are class. Much better, and you didn't sound like a wuss._ "And you look more professional. More of a teacher." He added.

"Oh," Quistis said again. Now she wished she hadn't been so resolute. She felt awkward after Seifer's response and she could feel herself heating up. "Here, uh, you can take your coat back." she said not meeting his eyes, and slipping his trench coat off her shoulders.

"Keep it on," Seifer said, placing them back to where he had put them. "It's kinda cold."

"What about you? Aren't you cold?" she asked, glancing at his bare arms to show her meaning. He shrugged, "I'm ok,"

They had now reached the back part of the Garden where the 'secret place' was located and there was no sign of anyone. It was just the two of them. Without thinking, Seifer headed for the entrance to the secret place, hearing Quistis call after him.

"Why are we going in there for?" she asked.

"There might be people up there. A pretty good place for seeking refuge." Seifer answered, waiting for her to catch up. "Didn't think to look here until I saw it."

Climbing up the metal steps, they arrived at the top. Around them the place was deserted. Leaving his side, Quistis went towards the ledge facing the Garden, and leaned out. From where she stood she had a pretty good view of the entire Training Centre. Not that it was much help; she couldn't see any movement, except for that Grat who was stalking about in the open. _Still, they could be hiding between the trees and undergrowth._ She reasoned. Garden uniform blended quite well with the jungle-like backdrop of the Training Centre. There was still hope. Hope that was quickly fading fast.

"Anything?" Seifer had come to stand by her.

Quistis shook her blond head. "Nothing at all," she said sadly. "Not if you count that Grat near the metal fencing." She raised a gloved hand and pointed at the monster hovering in the air.

"Monsters don't count, I'm afraid." said Seifer with a commiserating smile.

The older girl sighed and closed her eyes briefly. Being a SeeD member sure put pressure on her teenage life. Despite her age, Quistis felt as though she was ready to throw in the towel already. Teaching contributed to her daily life, yet her face was youthful as her age.

"Tired?" Seifer's voice reached her ears and she opened her eyes again.

"Yes... slightly..." _Oh come on!_ She heard her mind chide. _You're being very unprofessional, Trepe. All that training comes to nothing if you're negligent. Slacker are losers. Are you a loser?_ "Ever since Ultimecia appeared back on the scene, no one has been able to get much sleep." she said, wrapping Seifer's coat closer around her.

"Not cold, huh?" he mused.

Choosing to ignore this taunt, Quistis continued to talk, her eyelids drooping faintly. "I worry about Squall. He's more involved in the Ultimecia ordeal than any of us. There's Matron too, but between the six of us, we all share the guilt and burden of letting Edea slip from us so foolishly and easily. With Squall, it's only him who is fighting this inner conflict with Rinoa. He sticks firmly with the idea that it was his fault that Ultimecia has her."

"What is it with blame?" Seifer said in a tone of disgust that Quistis looked at him in mild surprise. "Why must there always has to be someone to blame?"

"If there is a cause, there has to be a reason. And with reason, there has to be someone to blame." Quistis said, straightening now. "Has this got something to do with the hatred some people still feel towards you?"

"You're no mind-reader, but yeah, kind of." Seifer admitted grudgingly. "So I feel resentment. That's why I don't like this thing of pointing fingers and placing blame in people's hand. You know what that does?" he asked her.

Quistis shook her head. She didn't know.

"It plagues that person with guilt. Any human being has a conscience. Some are not affected by it as much as others are. No matter how many times you try to reason with yourself that you were not wholly to blame for whatever, there's that little voice at the back of your mind, telling you that you played a part." Seifer said, wearing a mask etched with anger and frustration. Banging his fist on top of the small ledge he leaned on, Seifer pushed himself away from Quistis' side and went to stand at her far left, his blue eyes glittering dangerously with an intense blue flame.

"I, I'm sorry. I, I shouldn't have asked." Quistis gabbled, lost for words. "I'll go and leave you alone. Seeing as we've found no one here, I'll wait for you downstairs."

"You can stay."

"What?" she turned with a perplexed look. Seifer was clearly miffed, yet he was inviting her to stay?

"You can stay. You don't have to go." he repeated, not turning to look at her.

"That's all very well. But I think it's best if you-"

"Would you stay if I say I wanted you to?" Seifer asked.

"Well, I, I, don't know." Quistis stumbled. "I would be an inconvenience to you if I stayed."

"I'm not Squall," he pointed out. I don't relish being by myself al the time. _Years of being alone, no parents... I don't want that_. "I don't bite, Instructor." With no time to respond, Seifer proceeded with a question for her. "Don't you ever feel alone, Instructor?"

The blond girl shrugged her slim shoulders, the back light that lit the stairs against her back bathing her in a white/yellow aura. "I suppose everyone feels that way in some point of his or her life." she said. With his coat still on, Quistis' appearance seemed considerably altered with the length of the grey trench coat brushing the ground and the arms dangling by her knees. She tucked a front strand of blond hair behind her ear and shifted her weight to her left leg.

Leaning over the ledge, Seifer peered in the distance at the thick black swirl slowly travelling in the direction of Balamb Island. He said, "We're set for a storm," and signalled Quistis to take a look. "Fine weather for August."

"Let's hope it is only a passing storm and nothing serious." said Quistis hopefully.

The first drop of rain fell like a tear from the sky, landing without sound on Seifer's cheek. Quistis had felt the rain land on her forehead and murmured it was starting to shower.

"Better go check the Car Park and Library." Seifer advised, lifting a black gloved hand up and watching the rain spill onto it. "We skipped them on our way here."

"Wait, Seifer. What's that over there? Is that smoke?!" Quistis pointed to the left with a finger to a group of tall coniferous trees.

"Hey..." Seifer craned his neck forward and peered. "I believe we've found our source."

"You have Leviathan, right?" said Quistis, bearing for the stairs.

"Hold up. I thought _you_ had Leviathan?" Seifer said.

"No I don't. You have."

"No I don't. I thought you did."

"I told you, I don't have Leviathan junctioned to me. I have Siren and Ifrit." Quistis retorted. "Don't tell me..."

"Great," Seifer groaned, covering his face with a hand. "I have Diablos and Cerberus, which doesn't help very much without Leviathan or Shiva. Unless we want to create an inferno by summoning Ifrit."

On the 2F, Squall, Selphie and Irvine had finished their search of the classrooms and now entered the elevator to check the headmaster's office. To one side of the elevator Squall stood in a contemplative stance whilst on the other, Irvine stood leaning with his shoulder. Standing between the two, Selphie hummed and tune to herself and thought of Mrs. Moogle's cake she didn't get to try. Another thought struck her and she whispered to Irvine so as not to distract Squall from his thinking.

"Irvine, did you remember to give Leviathan to Instructor Trepe or Seifer?" she asked in hushed tones.

"No," he whispered back, his eyes concealed by the brim of his hat. "I thought you had Leviathan."

"No! You have. That's why I told you to..." voice trailing, Selphie's green eyes widened, her face giving way to an expression of regret. "Uh-oh..."

"Now what are we going to do?" was the question Quistis asked Seifer when they realised that they were stuck. "We can't just stare at that fire and watch it burn down the Training Centre to ash."

"Don't look at me! There's very little we can do? With your GF and mine, all we'll be able to achieve is a bonfire."

"Seifer, this isn't funny!" Quistis snapped, seeing the grin appear after he cracked his little joke. "This is serious."

"Hey, I can do serious." he said, straightening his face to one of mock solemnity.

Throwing up her hands in surrender, Quistis stalked over to the ledge to inspect the mass of smoke and flames gorging at the trees, the sprinkle of rain becoming a heavy shower as the dark clouds loomed over head. _We're wasting time! _Her mind told her. _That fire will spread. Who knows what will happen when it gets to that stage._

"Quistis, get inside, we're gonna get soaked." Seifer had to shout slightly over the loud pitter-patter of water falling. Rain had already drenched his blond head and was beginning to affect his clothes too. He didn't seem to mind much.

"Here," removing the overly large coat from around her, Quistis held it out in front of her, instructing him to put it on. "The last thing you'll want it pneumonia."

This wasn't funny. His feet were getting wet and his usual mohawkish hairstyle was now dripping wet and hanging at the side of his face like curtains. Zell Dincht was not a happy guy. The trees didn't provide much of a shelter, as regular intervals of gusts of wind would blow the rain intercepted by the leaves down onto him anyway.

Bahamut had pointed him in the right direction and then departed at the first drops of rain. "That's right. Leave me to get soaking wet!" he sulked, stomping over the small wooden bridge and almost slipping in the little stream which was sure to turn into a river if the rain kept up, below.

He did not have Enc-None junctioned but had no reason to junction the non-fighting ability, as he hadn't encountered any monsters since he arrived inside the confines of the Training Centre. "And I'm called a chicken!" Zell grumbled, jumping over a puddle and blinking water back from his eyes. "T-Rexaur can't even face a little rain, and I'm called a chicken!"

His jacket was saturated with water that he could feel it beginning to seep through to his vest. What he would give for some form of shelter. "_SNOW_?!" Zell started incredulously, feeling one land on his nose. "This is a unreal. I don't believe this. Snow in August. Oh this is just dandy! All we need now is hail!!" What Selphie would normally call a 'gift from the faeries', Zell now called a curse from the faeries. "Seifer!! Instructor Trepe?!! Seifer!! Instructor Trepe?!!"

"Did you hear that?" Instructor Trepe asked, pricking her ears at the muffled noise she just heard.

"Hear what?"

"That sound. Someone's calling us." Before he could stop her, Quistis had ran back out into the open area of the secret place, the rain beating down upon her bare shoulders.

"Dr. Kadowaki isn't going to be pleased to find that you've been careless to expose yourself to downpour." Seifer said observantly from behind her. "Duck under," he indicated his coat he had made into a make shift cover against the rain.

Obediently Quistis joined him beneath his long trench coat, holding the coat up with one hand like he did so they could see. The other she threaded through his left arm, keeping in step with him as they moved towards the sound that was very much like their names being called out.

"Instructor Trepe?! Seifer?! Can you hear me?!" Zell yelled, arriving at the bottom of the place known to be the rendezvous point for many students at Garden, sputtering raindrops as he spoke.

"Zell!" Quistis called from somewhere above his head, recognising the red of his sopping jacket.

"Hey, I found you!" At least that was something he could be pleased about even with the misfortunate turn in weather.

"Come up!" she said, meeting him along the stairs. "You're awfully wet."

"Man!" he said, shaking his hair like a dog and sending water everywhere, including one in Seifer's eyes. "Is it pouring or what?! Good thing Squall's inside. Don't think the weather would've lifted his mood. Geez, what a pain in the ass. Instructor, is that your radio going?"

"I'll take it," Seifer offered, taking the device from Quistis and speaking into it. "Yeah, go ahead."

"We've located some of the students and faculty." Squall's voice informed at the other end. "Xu is amongst the group that have hidden on 3F - Headmaster Cid's office. She says that the rest of the Garden students and staff are scattered about the place. Nida is with one group in the Car Park and Dr. Kadowaki is with a third at the Library. Check that they're ok and instruct them to assemble in the Great Hall. I want everyone together in case should something happen. Report to the 2F classroom when that is complete."

"Received. Over and out." Handing back the radio to Instructor Trepe, Seifer wore his coat back on again, looking ready and alert. "You heard Mr. Leader. Let's go check out the Car Park and Library."

"What about the fire?" Quistis wanted to know.

"That'll go out in no time." Zell said confidently, with a wave of his hand. "With this sorta rain? I'd say Leviathan's got competition with his Tsunami attack. I'll go check out the Library."

"And we all know why you wanna go there." Seifer said with a knowing look.

"Ignore him, Zell." Quistis advised, seeing the martial artist turn red. With anger or embarrassment she didn't know and wouldn't ask. "You go to the Library and carry out Squall's order. We'll take the Car Park."

"Cool. I'll go get my T-board. I left it at the entrance." Zell said, taking the stairs by two.

"Your T-board?" Seifer asked after him. "They're prohibited at Garden. What are you doing with it here?"

"As I recall Zell, you had your T-board confiscated on your first mission as a SeeD." Quistis said.

"Yeah, I know. But I told ya remember? When you get to my calibre you're gonna need more than one of these little babies." He explained patiently to them as they hurried through the relentless rain back to the metallic exterior of the Training Centre's entrance.

"And the fateful incident you had when you were on one of those inside Garden." Quistis added with a sly smile.

"What 'fateful incident'?" Seifer inquired scandalously. "This sounds interesting."

"Instructor Trepe!" Zell objected, picking up his board that was leaning against the wall beneath a notice board. "Don't tell him!"

"Is it _that_ embarrassing, Dincht? Will you die of humiliation in front of me if I found out?" Seifer asked, that strange smile on his face again. Zell didn't like it, and scowled to himself. "If Instructor Trepe doesn't tell me, there are others who would be only too willing to spill on you."

"You threatening me?" said Zell, the pupils to his blue eyes constricting.

"Threatening is a bit harsh. What about intimidating?" Seifer recommended.

"Threatening, intimidating. Same meaning." Zell said, mounting his board. "See ya in the 2F classroom later, Instructor Trepe."

"Bye Zell. And be careful!" Quistis called after his retreating back.

"Bye Zell." Seifer also called, grinning when Zell threw him a dirty look as he disappeared from sight, bidding him a farewell with a dainty wave of a hand.

"Come on, Seifer." Quistis said, following Zell's departure, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes in a resigned way. "Let us be on our way to the Car Park."

"Instructor, I'm already there." Seifer said, following her lead.

In the classroom, the other three waited. His figure bent over the study panel screen, Squall's eyes glided over the messages posted in the Garden Square and Selphie's own little web-site on the Garden's Intranet. Because the SeeDs were so tied up with the Ultimecia ordeal, Squall noted that not many messages had been posted the last time he had bothered checking. Scrolling down the screen to the next page, he did notice a message from Zell who, since last year, decided to stick with using just his initials as a signature. With a degree of amusement, Squall read Zell's message, followed with one posted by Seifer.

[S'up, everybody! Those hot dogs get better and better. Guess the disciplinary committee's back on line since Seifer's returned. Z.D.]

[I know you're disappointed, Zell. But tough break, huh? Still, any more running into the Cafeteria and around Garden, I'm gonna have to discipline you. Almasy]

[Hey, I'm a SeeD now! Can't push me around like a junior student! Z.D.]

[SeeDs are not exempt to the Garden's rules. As long as you are within Garden you are expected to follow and carry out these rules. Almasy]

[Ironic coming from you! You can't even carry out the school rules and you're on the disciplinary committee!! Hey, do did you get to be on that committee any way?! Z.D.]

[Harsh aren't you? Almasy]

[That's enough, the both of you! How many times must I point out that the Garden Square is used to post ideas on how to make Garden a better place. Not for childish bickering! Now enough already! Xu]

[There's no point using your initials, Dincht. I think I've pretty much sussed out who 'Z.D.' is. Almasy]

Irvine looked up from where he was polishing the barrel of his Exeter with the sleeve of his tan coloured duster coat. "Y'know, that girl with the pigtail. The one who's part of the Library Committee... She's kinda cute." he commented absently to Squall and Selphie who were both seated in front of study panels.

Squall lifted his head slowly from where he had them resting on his hands to give a 'I-don't-care-so-why-are-you-telling-me?' look, at Irvine before turning his attention back to the computer screen. "Whatever..." he muttered, continuing with reading. "'Doesn't Zell like the girl with the pigtail?"' Squall briefly allowed himself to wonder. He recalled the time when he, Zell and Instructor Trepe, or Selphie - he couldn't remember who - had stayed over at the Balamb Hotel. Upon their departure, Zell was informed that he was being sought after by a girl with a pigtail. Zell eventually located the girl, who stuttered nervously as they spoke, giving him a Combat King magazine before speeding off. _Whatever..._ Squall repeated to himself. _It's none of my business. Where are Seifer and Instructor Trepe? They've taken nearly half and hour. And Zell. Has he showed up yet? Is he ok???_

Angry at himself for asking too many questions - questions he did not know the answer to - Squall touched the screen to moved to Selphie's own web-page to investigate the updates she was currently making. That was when he heard the electronic swish of the doors to the classroom opening, and knew that Instructor Trepe and Seifer had returned.

"Zell!!!" Selphie's voice rejoiced at the still bedraggled appearance Zell had from being doused with rain. Squall looked up in surprise at the mention of Zell's name, relieved to see that he had them and was ok, apart from the slightly sour look he had on his boyish face. "You ok? Where've you been?!" The questions came one after the other, leaving the blond martial artist little time to respond. He was still trying to pry Selphie away from him, who was hugging him around the neck.

"Yeah, glad to see you too, Selph." Zell said, finally detaching himself from her.

Smiling widely, Selphie waved a cheery hand at Seifer and Quistis and then wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell of something. "Eeew, you're all wet!" she exclaimed. "It doesn't smell very nice either," she said, taking a couple of steps back away from Zell.

"It's rainin' Chocobos outside!" Zell protested annoyingly. "We- or should I say _I_, got soaked lookin' for Instructor Trepe." A discreet cough from Seifer encouraged Zell to mention the older boy's name. "And Seifer," he added in a dull voice.

"Yes. It was pretty bad." Quistis agreed.

"_And_ it was snowing!!!" Zell continued to complain. "Man! The frickin' weather's gone all screwy!"

"The weather is not what we should be worrying about." Squall importantly spoke up, straightening his body and coming to stand with the rest of them. Irvine pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on and positioned himself close to the group, before leaning on the wall again. "I've come up with an idea to stop Ultimecia and her crazy plan."

"Which is…?" Seifer prompted much to Squall's chagrin.

__

I was about to come to that, Squall thought annoyingly. "In order for us to get a real shot at her, we've got to-"

"But Squall, Ultimecia's in Rinoa's body. We're gonna hurt her if we-" Selphie burst out fretfully at the mention of the first few words of his proposal.

"Selphie, calm down." He instructed gently. "What I was going to say, was, we've got to somehow separate Rinoa and Matron."

"How we gonna go and do that?" Zell asked at a loss, scratching at the back of his head.

"But if we try and do that, how are we going to have any form of hope on focusing our magical or physical attacks on her?" Irvine enquired, the words floating from beneath his cowboy hat.

"Don't you _ever_ take that hat off?" Seifer interrupt in a tone of shear amazement that roughly went with his mock expression of wonder.

"Seifer," Instructor Trepe put in warningly. "This is _not_ the time."

"Of course not. Sorry." His face said so otherwise.

Throwing a murderous glance at the blond boy, Irvine proceeded with questioning Squall's plan. "Ultimecia was nothing but a ball of pulsing energy with which it contained her very being inside, when stormed Lunatic Pandora."

"That's a good point," Zell said thoughtfully. "It would either mean find another host to lure her in to. Or we separate only one of the sorceresses. Question of the moment is, who do we choose? Rinoa or Matron?" A silence that lengthened every waking moment no sound was made happened next. Squall thought he could hear the thudding sound of his heartbeat, which sounded extremely loud to him, because Zell's sudden revelation made him realise the big flaw in his plan. He awakened from his conscious stupor when he felt the penetrating stare of all, on him, and Zell's searching voice. "Squall? What're we gonna do? Who's it going to be?"

Chapter Twenty-Two - No Escape

****

Trapped. No where to hide - no one to run to and no one to hide behind. Now Squall knew what it was like to feel cornered. No escape route, no nothing. He stared back at the expectant faces that looked at him and then looked away. How could he choose? He could never choose. It was an impossible situation. Rinoa or Matron. He didn't know who to pick. _I pick select either of them; I gain one, but lose another. Whichever way it goes, it will be a lose-lose situation. Rinoa… Matron… I can't decide._ "I can't decide," he eventually said, keeping his head bent low, eyes aimed at the floor to avoid their frowns much like his own.

"Squall, you've got to decide, you're the commander." Selphie insisted, reminding him of his role and position in Garden.

__

That's right. I'm the commander; I make all the decisions. I make the wrong choice; it's going to be me who'll take the blame. If I lose Rinoa or Matron, I'll… I'll… I don't know what I'll do.

"Squall come on," Selphie urged.  
"I can't decide. I just can't." Squall bit out harshly. "How can I choose between these two people? They both mean too much me. To sacrifice a life, yet have the other is no consolation to the fact the Matron acted as the mother to me- to us, and Rinoa… I can't…"

"Let's not go rushing into things just yet." Said Zell, beginning to pace the room with his hands jammed inside the back pockets of his shorts. "Let's lay out a few things on the table first. Why has Ultimecia decided to use a combo of Edea and Rinoa as her body?"

"Because, in terms of physical strength, Rinoa is lacking in that department." Quistis answered slowly. "No offence to Rinoa, but Edea does have a stronger body whereas Rinoa is more fragile. On the other hand, because the powers of the sorceress has been past on from Edea to Rinoa, it is in the magic sector that Rinoa is an asset in."

"Right." Zell said, turning over an idea inside his mind. "Right…" he repeated.

"Right…?" Irvine encouraged.

"Hold on will ya, I'm still thinking!" Zell snapped.

"Next question is, which of those two would Ultimecia rather lose." Seifer spoke up to join in, in the discussion.

"I reckon her magic," Irvine put in.

"Ah, but Ultimecia relies on her magic to battle. Magic is her forte - every sorceress' in fact. Wouldn't she prefer to have that?" Quistis challenged, a palm outstretched suggestively. 

"Yeah, but what use is that? If we get Rinoa out, then what has Ultimecia got left to fight with, her hands? I don't think so. She ain't no martial artist like me," Zell pointed out. "I think," he added, rather worriedly.

"Then we're stuck," Selphie said, her arms flopping by her side. "What're we going to do?"

"You've got to take something into consideration, though." Seifer said. He had his gunblade out, and was tapping its point on the classroom floor in a rhythmic motion. "Even though she hasn't got her own body, she's still very powerful, and I'm not talking about her ability to cast strong spells. The moment she realises what you intend to do, she's going to fight back. You try to separate them, you may end up causing more damage than you will with your physical attacks."

"Then what do _you _suggest we do?" Zell asked.

To this question, Seifer shrugged. "The idea of separation is a good one. If you were Ultimecia, what would you rather keep? The fighting power, or the stamina?"

"In my own opinion, I think we have a better chance of extracting Edea from the other two. The reason why I think this, is, one, Edea is more physically stronger like Quistis pointed out. And two, she's got us. Every single one of us she raised when we were still young. We're like her children to her. That's one big factor I think Edea has over Rinoa."

"But we care for Rinoa as much as we do for Matron!" Zell argued heatedly.

"Do you?" Seifer said, matching the shorter boy's look, stare for stare. "Pushed into a situation like this one now, who would choose - Rinoa, who you know for about a year? Or Matron, whom you've known for your entire lifetime?"

Silence.

"I don't think we should make a decision just yet." Quistis advised wisely. "We do that, when the time comes, we may be filled with remorse and regret on our decision. I say we leave it till we really have to make a choice."

__

Prolong the agony… Squall thought, remaining where he was in front of his study panel. _Either way I have to make the choice… A choice I know I won't be able to make. How can I? I can't. I _CAN'T_!!!_ The dark haired boy could feel himself losing control and he wished Rinoa were with him now to place her cool soothing hand against his forehead, with her smile that made the ghost of smiles appear on his face.

"Let's finish this," Seifer said unfalteringly. A glint appeared in his cold blue eyes - a sign that the fire was building up inside him. "All this leaving and getting it done later - I hate it. I want this over with. Delaying are for chickens."

"Hey-!" Zell started angrily.

"No," Quistis warned. "For once, stop this childish fooling around."

"On to the basement floor?" Irvine didn't needed to ask, but he asked anyway. The nod from Squall was answer enough for all of them.

"Wait," Selphie said, holding out her hands to stop anyone from leaving. "When you guys checked out the Car Park and Library, did you see Headmaster Cid among the students and faculty?"

"No, Selphie. Why?" Quistis asked warily, bracing herself for the auburn headed girl's response.

Selphie's face crumpled into one of worry and agitation. Nobody liked the expression on her face. "We… When we went to the 3F… To Headmaster Cid's office… To check on the students taking refuge there… Headmaster Cid wasn't among the group there. I was hoping he'd be in the Library or the Car Park, even. But if you say you didn't see him, then where is he?"

The question that Selphie had asked kept replaying at the back of his mind like some broken record player. So much, Squall began to feel angry when he felt that familiar sinking feeling nestle at the put of his stomach. He felt sick. Fretting over Rinoa and Matron was one thing. Questioning the whereabouts of the headmaster was another. _He's probably hidden somewhere really safe,_ Squall reasoned quietly to himself. _Or not…_

The tension inside the elevator travelling to the basement floor, where Squall and two others had fought Master Norg, was beginning to get unbearable. Nobody wanted to say anything for fear of making the situation worse. Nothing could make the situation. That was what they had thought last time, and things had taken a turn for the worst. Best to think of nothing at all, not to think - not to think of anything good, not to think of anything bad. A clear mind meant sharper concentration, and focused mentality. Squall did that now, immediately feeling the tension leave his body.

When the lift slowed to a stop, and as the metal doors opened, Squall reached for his gunblade, getting the best grip possible on its handle. The rest did the same; intently anticipating what the scene before them should be like.

Nothing could prepare them for what they saw before them. Their worst thoughts had come true, despite banishing the idea that something as bad as this should happen.

"Headmaster Cid!" they cried in unison. The medium height of the headmaster in his white shirtsleeves, tie and cut-off jumper was clearly visible the moment they all stepped out of the lift. He was standing in front of the Edea's figure and Rinoa's face, quiet lost of words and simply not knowing what to do. He felt helpless.

"Ah, I see you have returned." Ultimecia remarked in her monotonous tone of voice, her eerie smile appearing on Rinoa's face at the sight of them. "I was beginning to get bored. Then dear Headmaster Cid came along to keep me company. Have you come to fight? I hope so. This day shall go down in history! Signifying the end of SeeD and the resurrection of death! Say goodbye to your childhood, your memories, your dreams!!! Pestilence, war, famine and death shall rule by my side. Reigning over this vanquished earth."

"Is she serious?" Irvine asked in disbelief at her very cliché speech.

Ultimecia turned to look down upon Squall. "Did you like what I did to your Garden?"

"That was not necessary!" Squall barked, breaking from the group and stepping forward.

"Was it not?" The sorceress from the future asked innocently. "I decided that some terror would do everyone some good. That is what you are all trained for, is it not, to face terror? Good practice, and you say it was not necessary?"

"You didn't need to get the rest of Garden involved. The conflict is between SeeD and you. No one else." Squall said. He wondered for a moment where he was getting all this courage from, for he knew that Ultimecia had the capability of obliterating him on the spot.

"This concerns the _entire_ Garden!!!" Ultimecia screeched, suddenly feeling herself getting worked up. "This concerns _all_ of you!!!"

"Whoa, you reckon she gets hypertension?" Zell whispered to Selphie as they looked on.

"Zell," Selphie muttered annoyingly. "Now isn't the time to be asking stupid questions!"

"Yeah, sorry,"

"Headmaster, get back! She's dangerous!" Squall shouted over to the man who stood defiantly before the sorceress from the future. "She could kill you!"

"I am well aware of that, Squall," Cid said calmly. He did not seemed fazed by Ultimecia's aptitude to destroy him. "I would gladly die endeavouring to save Edea."

"Foolish mortals of that you are!" Ultimecia hissed savagely. "This courage you show is all very endearing to behold. It is a pity I shall have to subject you to unimaginable pain. I shall make you pay for what you did to me. The countless number of time you have tried to thwart my plans. I tell you, I shall not tolerate it!" she shrieked now. "I shall make each and every one of you bleed!"

"Shut up, already!" Seifer's voice shouted over the quiet that ensued. "You're persistence- why do you bother?"

"My knight…" Rinoa's voice spoke softly. "My lost knight… Come back to me…"

"Hell no! This ends now you hear. No more torturing, no more of this control and manipulation."

"I fear I've lost you now…"

"I don't belong to you, Ultimecia. I was never yours. You took advantage of me. I won't let you do that to me again." Seifer said, shaking his blond head.

A wave of fury swept across the face of Squall's loved one, to the point that Squall wasn't sure if it was Rinoa he was watching so anxiously. Arms by her side, Ultimecia clenched her fists into balls, her face contorting to one that radiated revulsion and extreme dislike. Squall to an uncertain step back, tugging Headmaster Cid by his shirt, with him.

"Enough of this fooling around!" she shouted her eyes glowing purple.

"This can't be good," Zell said, stepping back fearfully.

"Where are you running off to?!" Seifer demanded, brushing past Irvine, Selphie and Zell. "She's a push over."

"Seifer, wait!" Quistis ordered, grabbing him by the collar of his trench coat, yanking him back, as if he were a young pup gallivanting into trouble - which he was. "Think of who we're dealing with."

"Ultimecia," he replied shortly, shrugging her grip from his coat.

"Don't be so foolish, Seifer!" Quistis said, now making a grab for his arm.

"Foolish is standing here doing nothing, my dear Instructor Trepe. Doing nothing, would be foolish. How do you think we're going to stop her? Through negotiations?! Hah! That's like trying to negotiate with Galbadia and their stupid tirade in declaring war on garden. Negotiations didn't work with the Galbadian President, and it sure ain't gonna work we _her_. Hell, no."

"Just wait, first." Quistis pressed. _Come on, Squall. Get through to her if you can. It doesn't matter if you don't. Tell us when and we'll initiate combat._

"Squall stop her-!"

"My children! Destroy the sorceress whilst you have the chan-"

"Edea!" Cid cried on the emergence of his wife's voice and face.

"Cid, I-, the sorceress- too strong-"

"SILENCE!!!" The witch ordered, her voice resounding in the spacious confines of the basement floor.

"Help me, Squall!!!" Rinoa's voice of help called to him, echoing in his mind - awakening his senses to the extent, that he nearly raised his gunblade to attack Ultimecia.

Ultimecia laughed harshly when she saw Squall snap from his hypnotised state. "Problem, SeeD? It appears you cannot hurt me without harming your loved one."

Jaws clenched, Squall gritted his teeth together hard - trying not to let the reality of her words affect him. _I have no choice... _He thought. _Rinoa, I'm sorry…_ Determination set in his eyes, Squall said his orders. "Seifer and Instructor Trepe with me. Zell, Irvine and Selphie, take Headmaster Cid to the 1F. Get Nida and Xu, we've got to move Balamb Garden away from Balamb Island."

"Squall?!" They instantly objected.

"Don't Squall me. Just do it!!!" Squall thundered taking the other three aback.

"W-where should Nida divert Balamb Garden to?" Zell asked apprehensive of the haggard expression Squall's face formed.

"Far away. Tell him to set a course for the Centra plains."

"Come on, Headmaster Cid, sir." Selphie said, taking the man by the arm and leading him to the elevator.

"Edea!" he shouted at the sorceress who returned his pleading face with her own barren, soulless eyes.

"No one leaves!" Ultimecia snarled, hurling an Ultima spell at the elevator entrance, blowing its door apart, and the only exit. "Why should three SeeDs suffer when you three are equably to blame for my wretched demise?"

"There goes that plan," Irvine was heard to mutter. "Any other great ideas?"

"But of course all of you will get a chance to battle me. No one shall miss out." Edea's voice mocked. Cid's face strained with the agony of Edea's state. Things were not looking up. In fact, things had never looked up since Odine had merged the three sorceresses together!

"The sooner I am rid of you parasites, the better! Come, show me what you are capable of!"

Words echoing in his mind, Squall, Seifer and Quistis were thrust into battle, his skill and strategy momentarily lost at the sight of Ultimecia's form before him.

__

Stop staring, fight! Don't let her gain the upper hand! Gathering his SeeD senses together, a sign to Quistis signified that on her turn she was to cast Triple followed by Shell and Protect. _If we had Rinoa, she could cast her Invincible Moon attack. But she's not here. She's inside that body. Got to use what we have._ Squall didn't know if Seifer had Item as one of his fighting abilities, but he didn't. He only hoped that Quistis did, because he was sure he had a Holy War and Hero's Medicine stored there somewhere.

Until her next turn and until she had cast Triple, Shell and Protect, there was nothing much Squall could do. Imitating Seifer's move, Squall wisely cast Aura on himself and watched Quistis gain Triple status. These ventures did very little to protect them or inflict damage until there next turn, for Ultimecia raised a pale, yet clawed hand, moving it in a taunting motion to select who her first victim shall be. A sharp side-wards movement and a talon like finger had chosen Squall to bear the brunt of her malicious attack. For a fraction of a second, the face melted into one that showed a face of sorrow and grief.

__

Squall... forgive me... Rinoa said tearfully as the large, white, ionised energy flew from the palm of her hand, travelling with quick speed at Squall's standing figure. Inwardly she shut her eyes to make the pain more bearable, yet his cries of affliction still reached her ears, and she cried.

Whatever attack Ultimecia had just targeted at him, one thing was sure: it hurt. Doubled over on the cold glazed floor of the basement, Squall grasped at his left shoulder, feeling blood swell out profusely from the resulting wound from that ball of energy. Seifer and Quistis looked down at him worriedly, remembering that they still had a sorceress to contend with when he shot them a bloody faced look. _Damn..._ he thought, pressing harder at the wound, trying to reduce the blood flowing in between his gloved fingers which were now soaked.

__

Still five thousand hit points. Damn... If ever he felt pain such as this, then he didn't recall. Perhaps when he had fought Griever. The ultimate GF created a bit of a problem with its swift, powerful attacks. But man was he feeling pain now. Some of the confidence he had lost during his fall was regained when Quistis successfully cast Shell and Protect, and now he watched Seifer perform his Limit attack. That was when he began to worry. Seeing him deliver such sharp and cutting motions at close proximity, and seeing the recoil Ultimecia did after each onslaught of his Demon Slice, made Squall wince. He had to remember that Rinoa and Matron was in there too.

From their spectator's point of view, Zell, Selphie and Irvine did not think the battle was going well. They recoiled in unison when they saw Squall receive that devastating blow, and it took both Irvine and Selphie to hold Zell down when he declared that he was going to whuup her ass big time.

Headmaster Cid did not like the current situation. Here they were in a 20/20 scenario. They either attacked the sorceress and save the world from total devastation and lose the lives of two people dear to their hearts, or they let the sorceress do as she pleased and let her continue with the Time Compression process. None of these two options could be afforded to happen, yet one problem still remained.

Impressed though he was with the skills that Seifer and Squall demonstrated Cid was honestly more concerned for the welfare of his wife than anything else. Even though Balamb Garden was his dream, and SeeDs chief aim was to destroy the sorceress when the time came, Cid Kramer could not bring the courage to let that happen. Even after the countless number of times he and Edea and discussed the implications that involved she receiving the sorceress' powers, Edea had been unrelenting. Would he interfere with his wife's wish? The question rotated around his mind as he stood watching the battle continue.

"Man... this isn't good." Zell said, shaking his head fretfully. "Squall just got blasted big time."

"Don't worry, Instructor Trepe has him covered!" Selphie said, pointing with a flutter inside her as Quistis cast Recover on Squall's self. That did not stop the bleeding fully. In fact, the Recover spell only managed to heal him to the extent that blood was no longer gushing from his would. The large gash was successfully sealed, yet his leather jacket was soaked with his vital fluid. Reality was harsh, and here was a prime example.

Able to stand fully straight now, both his arms free to attack, Squall gripped his gunblade with his right hand, and clenched the other to a fist. Then, without thinking, the young man sent a barrage of attacks from his Limit Renzokuken, finishing off with the mighty Lion Heart. The onslaught left him breathing heavily, but still did not remove the tinge of hatred that began to swell in his chest.

"Alright, Squall!!!" Zell cheered for his best buddy, punching the air with lifted spirits.

"Don't get too hopeful," Selphie warned apprehensively.

"I thought you were the one who was always saying to think positive. What? So now you're Miss Pessimistic?"

"I'm just saying, that's all." she said, training her eyes on the battle before her.

"Yeah, right. Squall will be thankful for your support." he snorted, folding his arms and turning his back to her.

"Stop being a dumbass, Zell. That's not what Selphie meant." Irvine said, closely watching the battle also.

"How would you know? Got a sixth sense?"

"Yes. My sixth sense is so sharp sometimes, it scares me." This was said in a straight face and left the martial artist clueless as to whether Irvine was playing for a fool.

"Yeah right..." he said grunted. "Reeaaal sharp like your shooting, huh?"

"I was kidding. Come on, this is Ultimecia we're talking about. You fought her didn't you? Did you see the attacks she used? Hell's Judgement? That was her deadliest attack. One hit point, _one_ hit point."

"Ok, ok. I get the picture. Man... I can't watch."

"Oooh, that must've hurt!" Selphie said, recoiling for Instructor Trepe who was hit directly with a large meteor.

"We need to help them!" Zell flared angrily. "I can't just watch them getting trashed!"

"You heard what Squall said. Their turn isn't over." Irvine said, restraining him with a hand to his shoulder.

"They're harming her!" Cid exclaimed, another devastating blow was delivered to the tri-sorceresses.

"Sir, there's no other way. Rinoa's in there too, but there is simply no other way." Irvine said, angry that everything boiled down to this.

It was extreme selfishness of Ultimecia to bring this burden upon them all. A selfless act that would result in the death of many - yet the life of two that were very dear to certain people's hearts - if Ultimecia was not destroyed.

Towering above them, the immense energy increasing her size - Ultimecia did her evil grin with the look of victory on her face. Seifer knelt on the floor after taking a considerable beating from another wave of Meteor - his HP reduced to a perilous 500 HP - the dawn-like coloured aura engulfed around him indicating his Limit status. "Do you surrender!?"

"Surrendering is for cowards!" Seifer shouted at her, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth and holding his gunblade aloft.

"Why suffer a humiliating death, when you can easily give in?" she questioned, toying with a highly charged energy ball in both hands. "So much simpler."

"We don't give up if we know there is a chance," said Quistis' voice. Her slender standing tall, the young woman concentrated, closing her eyes and feeling the strength flow through her. In a wave of hands, the SeeD instructor had cast Mighty Guard.

"You insolent-!" Ultimecia fumed, casting the large energy ball she had so far held in her hands.

The resulting effect after its connection with Quistis' body was a resounding bright light exploding into a fitful array of bursting force, sending white-hot showers onto the floor. The aftermath of the explosion brought no sign of the blond haired instructor. Everyone stared at the burnt-out spot where Quistis had been standing with mouths agape. What remained was a neat, charred circle, the result of the energy ball's impact, and two smouldering boot imprints - nothing more.

"W-?!" they all started, horrified at what they saw, happen.

"Instructor Trepe!" Selphie squeaked, not daring to believe her eyes.

"Whoa, stay back, Selph." Zell said, standing in front of her. "D-damn... the hell did she go?"

__

Instructor Trepe? Quistis? Squall questioned in disbelief. _W-where did you go...?_

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!" came the laugh, expanding to the entire size of the basement floor. "Now you realise that I am no longer playing games!"

"_NOOOOO!!!_" the revelation that Quistis had been blown to pieces was received like a sharp, sudden blow to the chest - the voices of the fighters mingling into one, shrill voice.

"No..." Selphie said, sniffing back the tears and sinking to the floor. "It can't be..."

"Instructor Trepe...?" Irvine questioned, frowning back emotions he did not want expose, one hand reaching to remove the hat from his head and bending in sign of reverence.

While Selphie and Irvine were quicker to digest that Quistis had been blown to oblivion before their very eyes, Zell remained resilient to lose hope so easily. "She can't be... she's alive... she can't be- can't be dead?"

"She's dead Zell, didn't you see?!" Irvine snapped, wondering why he was speaking harshly unnecessarily.

"Hey, don't you start, ok!" the boy with the tattoo said jabbing an index finger in Irvine's direction. "Not that easily..."

"Are you blind?!" that was it, Irvine finally exploded, firing a bullet from his Exeter so that it made a slight indent on the ceiling, bits of plaster dangling loose. "Where were you looking when the ball of energy hit her!?"

"You don't understand..." Zell said, not explaining and shaking his head.

"Then explain,"

"Irvine, look out!" Selphie cried, pushing roughly to one side as a spell nearly collided with him.

"I tire of this!" Ultimecia seethed venomously. "All of you shall die eventually." Seeing them scatter in all direction, a smile curled her lips. "You can run, but you cannot hide from me!"

"This is not good!" Irvine breathed heavily, leaning against the metal wall clutching his ribs from the build up of lactic acid and tilting his hat with the barrel of his Exeter.

"You don't say!" Zell sarcastically bit with too much sarcasm than he thought necessary.

Irvine conceded his stupid question and let the scathing remark pass. "Damn, I think I've got a bruise on my arm, my shooting arm! Thanks Selphie."

"Quit complainin''- _WHOA_!" Zell began to say, jumping a metre back to avoid the same fate as the wall, which now had a big hole through it. "Well she sure ain't wasting no time!"

"She's on a rampage," Irvine said, removing the safety catch of his weapon and readying it.

"Hey man, what'cha gonna do with that?" Zell intervened, bringing the barrel down to the floor.

"What do you think I'm gonna do with it? Use it to eat with?!" the cowboy snapped, returning the sarcasm and moving Zell away from him.

"You crazy?! You can't shoot that thing at Ultimecia!" the martial artist argued, making a lunge for Irvine's Exeter.

"At least get it right. You _fire_ a gun and _shoot_ an arrow. There's a difference. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Stop showing off, jerk head."

"Dumbass," the other shot back.

"Don't make me use this on you," Zell warned, bringing his right Ehrgiez fist a centimetre from Irvine's face.

"You wouldn't have the guts,"

"Wanna bet?" he challenged.

"Maybe next time. Do me a favour." Irvine asked, staring right into Zell's Adamantine enforced gloves.

"What?"

"Duck!!!"

Both hands covering her head, Selphie rocked on her heels and let out a moan as more explosions were let loose, sending fragments of metal everywhere. Beside her, Headmaster Cid sat on the floor, back leaning against a conveniently placed metal structure that obscured them from vision. Removing a white handkerchief with the initials H.C on it, Cid Kramer mopped lightly at his brow, expelling a sigh of weariness and defeat.

"Headmaster Cid, sir, are you ok?" the auburn headed girl asked, brining down her hands when she heard the noise stop for a brief moment.

"I shall be ok when everything is restored to normal." he stated, pocketing his handkerchief back into the pocket of his grey trousers. "Foolish of me, really. Garden was my dream - it was mine and Edea's idea to establish a school for mercenaries - with the intent that someday these skilled fighters would one day bring the sorceress down."

His listener remained silent, not commenting or interfering and he appreciated that. "I should have hardened myself for this day. Or should I say, the second time round, eh?" Another sigh and then he continued, taking out his watch and fingering the cracked line that snaked across the face of the clock. "No matter how hard you try you can never prepare yourself for the real thing. You anticipate, yet it never seems to turn out the way you expect it to."

"I think I can agree with you on that one sir!" Selphie said, perking up a little despite their current situation. "Transferring from Trabia to Balamb Garden to complete my SeeD training had its surprises. The least thing I expected from the field exam at Dollet was to be chased my a humungous mechanical spider!"

"Ah yes," Headmaster Cid nodded in remembrance, "who could forget that unexpected incident?"

"Seems like years have gone by when all it's been is a year!"

"The busy, demanding life of a SeeD has made you busy, my dear. The missions and such, no doubt have changed your life drastically?"

Selphie frowned slightly at this and shrugged her bare shoulders. "I dunno about that, sir. Becoming a SeeD hasn't changed me at all, I don't think. It has made me more focused and it's also made me think seriously, 'cos these battled we have are for real! But I haven't changed in any way. I have my friends, I'm happy. I'm ok!"

"Then I'm happy for you." Cid said, patting her on the arm. "One cannot be serious all the time and if we are, we turn into mindless drones. Life has its pros, taking advantage of them does us no harm once in a while."

The young girl nodded again and picked up her Morning Star weapon, which she had laid in front of her. "Sir, do you think Quis-"

"Ms. Trepe was an excellent instructor, a truly gifted SeeD at that, I..."

"You speak as if she's gone forever! She can't have! She, I'm sure she's..." the words couldn't form, and even if they did Selphie was unable to say them. Kneeling now, Selphie hung her head, feeling remorse and sadness. The feeling of doing something to prevent Quistis' loss unrelenting.

"Do not feel you are to blame. Quistis' life was taken with the implications that danger could lead to death."

"But something could have been done!" Selphie argued, balling her fists and hitting the cold floor with them. "If her body was there we could've attempted a Phoenix Down, or, or a Full Life spell or something!"

"What is done, is done." Cid said, nudging the bridge of his glasses back up his nose. "We can only hope to consolidate Quistis' loss by preventing Ultimecia from doing further harm and stopping her before it is too late."

"But what can we do?" Selphie asked, "There's no way out."

"We may not be able to escape, but there is no denying that we must come up with a plan that will minimally hurt Edea and Rinoa."

"Such as?" She had no idea, she hoped Squall had.

A cut above his left eyebrow, a bleeding lip. Seifer couldn't ask for anything more. Right now, he was doing his best to dodge Ultimecia's volley of attacks that were clearly wearing him done, for her last Holy attack had skimmed his left arm. Executing a rough right shoulder roll, Seifer ran the length of the basement floor diving over a protruding metal object and coming face to with Selphie and Headmaster Cid.

"Come to say 'hi', Seifer?" Selphie asked, as Seifer went to peer over the edge of the object that provided as protection.

The blond boy, face neutral and focused on the task at hand whipped his head with a blank expression and said, "Hi," before turning to what he was doing. "Oh, oh." he muttered, hauling Selphie to his feet. "We've gotta move. Headmaster Cid, stay put. She's gonna direct a Tornado spell at us, we've got to keep on moving so she can't be successful."

"Seifer," Selphie said, tugging at his coat and pointing to something that looked very much like a ferocious twirling tornado.

"What?" he asked exasperated, following the finger that pointed and widening his eyes at the same. "Oh, shit! Dive!"

Landing on his feet, Squall pressed himself against the wall and took a deep breath. _Think for Hyne's sake! Think of something! What am I supposed to do?! _Squall's mind angrily answered back at the questions he was putting to himself. _This is useless. This is going nowhere!_

_Squall?_

__

That voice! It wasn't a physical voice that he could hear with his ears. It was coming from within his mind. _I'm going crazy..._

_Squall? Can you hear me?_

"Elle- Ellone?" Squall spoke quietly, controlling his breathing to calm himself down.

_How are you faring?_

"I've been in better situations." he communicated back. "I can't stop her, Ellone. I'd harm them both."

_Then what is to be done, then? What is to become of you and the rest of mankind? Is the life of two people more important compared to the millions that is at risk - oblivious as the rest of the world is to the threat?_

__

Don't make me do this, Squall's mind silently pleaded. _Don't make me choose._

_Wake up to reality, Squall. I love you, and you know I'd help you if I could. The harsh truth is, a choice has to be made. Either you decide or it shall be made for you._

And I don't want any regrets, he thought, resting his head back against the wall and expelling breath.

_The right choice is there, Squall. Look for it. Search you soul and you shall find it_.

Then the connection was severed and Squall was left on his own to dwell upon those words and do some soul searching.

Cautiously she removed her hands from her head. Opened one eye like a wink, and then the other. Falling rubble? None. Selphie heaved a sigh of relief, dusting the front of her dress and her legs.

"Everything's in working order," she said, flexing both arms. "Headmaster Cid?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Ouch, I think I make have received a slight knock on the head. Doctor Kadowaki would insist I see her. If we are relieved of the present evil, that is."

The Tornado spell did not seek out its intended victims, but instead their hiding place - though brief as it was. Now the bulk of the object was nothing but a crumpled heap, raised from the ground and totalled by the furiously twirling frenzy of the spell. Seifer dreaded to think what their remains would appear to be like had Ultimecia been successful. Their dive had been a well timed one, despite giving Seifer another bruise, a weak cut on Selphie's arm, and the bump at the back of Cid's head.

"Better than dead", Seifer thought grimly, leaning heavily on his strongest arm. "Can't stop now, it looks like she preparing to strike again."

"Oh _Squall_," said Selphie anxiously wringing her hands in despair. "Please. Think of something soon."

Dire though things were Irvine could not help but laugh despite trying his best not to. Dodging the Thundara spell left them unscathed, well… perhaps a fraction of Zell's self that continued to crackle and burn with out him knowing.

"What?" said Zell peering around him to check that no more magic was hurtling their way.

"Y- You're-" Irvine tried to tell but couldn't because of the laughter he continued to lapse into.

"Hey tell me man. No jokes funny unless I'm laughing too." He said, pursing his lips together.

At this the young man from Galbaldia collapsed into a fitful of shoulder shaking and laughter - tears brimming at the corner of his eyes.

"Irvine!" Zell snapped viciously. "What's so funny?!"

Which was the wrong question to ask because it gleaned no answer - rather it caused the sharpshooter to laugh even harder. "Zell-" he gasped, clutching his side. "_You_ are the joke."

"Huh?" the martial artist said bewildered and non the wiser. "What have I done that's so funny. Hang on… Do I smell smoke? _AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH_!!!!!! Help! Help! My hair's on fire!"

"Stop running around and hopping about like a Cactuar that had Berserk cast on it." Irvine instructed, clutching the aching pain on his left rib as a result from laughing too much. "Hold _still_."

"I'll have no hair left!" Zell shouted crazily, now beating his head with his gloved hands in the hope that he'd clap the flames away. Irvine watched the small flames spreading.

"You're making it worse," Irvine commented calmly.

"I don't see you doing much!" snapped Zell who glared at the cowboy watching him with amused eyes.

"I said hold still," Irvine repeated.

For a brief moment Zell did as he was told and then continued to jump madly up and down while trying to stop the fire from searing all his blond hair off. Caught in mid-hop, Zell shortly stopped when he was doused with freezing cold water. "What the hell?!" he yelled, standing in a gradually increasing puddle. "I said to help me, not give me pneumonia!!! That's the second time I've been soaking wet."

"Sorry?" Irvine offered though he really didn't mean it - his shoulders were raised in a gesture of mock helplessness. He had cast a Water spell to get rid of the fire. "At least I got rid of the fire for you." He offered.

"And _that's_ meant to be some sort of consolidation?"

"It's better than _bald_!" Irvine pointed out.

That was true.

"Tch, but I'm still wet."

"What, do you me to burn you dry? I saved your miserable ass just moments ago. If it wasn't for _me_, you would have been more than toast. You would've been flambéed to a crisp. Nothing would be left-"

"Ok man. I got the picture. No need to get your cowboy hat into a twist." Said Zell, waving a hand at Irvine's face to hush him up. "Did anyone ever tell you, you talk too much?"

"N-"

"N-uh-uh-uh-uh." Zell instructed. "Ssh. I think I hear someone."

That someone was Squall. Serious face in place, Squall Leonhart crouched behind a pillar - signalling for them to not blow his cover. When all was clear a swift, silent dash across the basement floor lead to his appearance beside two of his comrades.

"Hey," Squall greeted.

"I'd say 'what's up', except I think we all know the answer to that question." Zell said, glancing about.


End file.
